Floyd County, Georgia

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2005-12-14T09:18:00.000-05:00

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Rome commission calls Thursday meeting on water meter funding

2005-10-24T11:26:00.000-05:00

10/24/05
Alan Riquelmy

The Rome City Commission will meet Thursday at 10 a.m. at City Hall for a special called meeting to vote on the funding for the water meter change out program.

According to City Clerk Joe Smith, the only item on Thursday’s agenda is the vote, which will allow the purchase of bonds to pay for the $9 million program.

The water meter change out program will put new or upgraded equipment on buildings that use city water. The more accurate meters could cause higher bills for some water users.

For many, electric is the way to keep warm this winter

2005-10-24T08:05:00.000-05:00

Space heaters are a popular sale item in the face of rising natural gas and propane prices.

10/24/05
By Chris Marr, Rome News-Tribune Business Editor

Predictions of high natural gas and propane prices this winter have many homeowners looking for ways to keep their heating bills down, including buying electric space heaters to use instead of their gas-fired furnaces.

“We’re seeing a lot of those sell right now,” said Dwayne Wheeler, a manager at Ace Hardware on Turner McCall Boulevard. “I think more people are scared about rising fuel prices and plan to rely more on electricity for their heat.”

The electric heaters range in style and price, but Wheeler said the most popular sellers at his store are the medium-large $49.99 models.

“The ones that people are mostly buying are the ones big enough to heat up whole rooms,” he said.

Alabama resident Perry Cromer is looking to use an electric heater this winter instead of her propane-fired heat system, and she shopped at The Home Depot in Rome for the most efficient style.

“I’m moving into the back room (of my home), and I’m going to set an electric heater in there,” she said. She made the decision after she went to prepay for her propane supply.

“They wanted $1,300 to prepay, which was almost double what it was last year,” Cromer said.

Natural gas customers are concerned about the same kind of problem once cold weather arrives.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has predicted that households using natural gas for their primary heat source should expect to spend $350 more this winter than last, or about a 48 percent increase.

Not only are people buying electric heaters in preparation for winter, they’re also frequenting “how-to” clinics at home improvement stores such as The Home Depot to learn about ways to weatherize their homes and save energy.

“People are concerned about energy costs,” said Bob Zumbrunn, manager of The Home Depot in Rome. “Everybody’s trying to save.”

According to product displays at Home Depot, the types of electric heaters available include fan-forced, convection, radiant and ceramic. Fan-forced heaters tend to spread heat efficiently around a room, while radiant heaters are designed more for spot heating of the area directly in front of them. Convection units are ideal for heating a space only while it’s occupied, and ceramic heaters are usually fan-forced and cool to the touch.

Wheeler said oil-filled, electric radiators are a popular form of space heater, but one disadvantage is that they tend to be hot to the touch, which can pose a danger for children in particular.

Wiccan priestess loses Supreme Court appeal

2005-10-11T10:40:00.000-05:00

10/11/05
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court rejected an appeal today from a Wiccan priestess angry that local leaders would not let her open their sessions with a prayer.

Instead, clergy from more traditional religions were invited to pray at governmental meetings in Chesterfield County, Va., a suburb of Richmond.

Lawyers for Cynthia Simpson had told justices in a filing that most of the invocations are led by Christians. Simpson said she wanted to offer a generalized prayer to the “creator of the universe.”

Wiccans consider themselves witches, pagans or neo-pagans, and say their religion is based on respect for the Earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons.

Simpson sued and initially won before a federal judge who said the county’s policy was unconstitutional because it stated a preference for a set of religious beliefs.

Simpson lost at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that the county had changed its policy and directed clerics to avoid invoking the name of Jesus.

The Supreme Court is already hearing one religious case this fall. That cases raises the question of whether federal agents can stop a church from using hallucinogenic tea in its religious services. But this case would have provided a better opportunity for the court and new Chief Justice John Roberts to deal with government and religion.

Simpson is a member of a group known as the Broom Riders Association.

The county “issues invitations to deliver prayers to all Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious leaders in the country. It refuses to issue invitations to Native Americans, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Wiccans, or members of any other religion,” justices were told in her appeal by American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Rebecca Glenberg.

The county’s attorney, Steven Micas, said that the county’s practice was in line with the Supreme Court’s endorsement of legislative prayer as long as it did not proselytize, advance or disparage a particular religion.

The case is Simpson v. Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, 05-195.

Bartow to vote: 1 person or board?

2005-10-11T07:24:00.000-05:00

The county now has a single commissioner, but a vote could switch it to a multi-member board.

10/11/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Bartow County voters are slated to decide next year if they will keep a sole-commissioner form of government or switch to a multi-member board of commissioners.

“We heard this as a top issue in our door-to-door campaigning last year,” said state Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville. “So we decided to bring it up to the people.”

Bartow is by far the largest of the 10 Georgia counties operating under a single, full-time commissioner, and the

Georgia First Amendment Foundation notes that Georgia is the only state allowing that option. Commissioner Clarence Brown offered a change to a multi-member board in 1992, but voters rejected it and have continued to return Brown to the office. Now, with Brown planning to retire at the end of his term in 2008, the county’s state legislative delegation is again raising the question.

“There’s going to be a change,” said state Rep. Jeff Lewis, R-White. “We can swear in a new person or we can swear in a board of people, but there’s going to be a change.”

A town hall meeting to discuss the issue drew nearly 50 people to Cartersville City Hall on Monday. The session was the fourth of six gatherings scheduled around the county. The final meetings, which both start at 6 p.m., will be at the White United Methodist Church on Monday and Adairsville City Hall on Oct. 24.

Although the delegation has the power to design the proposal that will appear on the ballot, the five legislators want input from the community. Issues yet to be settled include: How many board members? Will they be elected at large or by district? Will the chairman be chosen by the people or the board? Will any of the positions be full-time? How will the terms be staggered? What is the salary? Will there be a county manager?

State Rep. Bill Heath, R-Bremen, said he calculated close to 800 different forms a board of commissioners could take.

His home county of Haralson was thrown into confusion in January when its first multi-member commission took over, he said, because the structure was unclear when the vote occurred in 2002. Heath said he doesn’t want that repeated.

“My commitment in this is making sure you know what you’re voting for,” he told the crowd on Monday.

The other members of Bartow’s delegation are state Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome, and state Rep. Tom Graves, R-Fairmount. All five are urging residents to weigh in on the issues by contacting them or attending the public meetings.

A 40-member citizen advisory committee appointed by the legislators also is researching options and gathering public opinion. Its next meeting is Oct. 19 at the Cartersville Chamber of Commerce.

“We have a very diverse group of people on the advisory committee, from all over the county,” said Adairsville Councilman Tommy Young, who is one of the appointees. “We’ve already had a few meetings, but it’s premature to say how we’re leaning.”

The committee has a deadline of Jan. 31 to present its recommendations. Then the delegation will draft the legislation calling for a November vote and present it for General Assembly approval before the session ends in March or April. If local voters approve, a board would be elected in 2008 and take office in 2009. The change also would require approval from the U.S. Department of Justice.

1-COMMISSIONER COUNTIES

Number of Georgia counties with sole commissioner governments: 10 out of 159

Estimated 2004 population of sole-commissioner counties:

Bartow: 86,972

Bleckley: 12,047

Chattooga: 26,552

Lumpkin: 23,925

Murray: 40,556

Pickens: 27,771

Pulaski: 9,837

Towns: 10,133

Union: 19,607

Walker: 63,379

Source: Association County Commissioners of Georgia

Citizens discuss future of Floyd

2005-10-11T07:20:00.000-05:00

Industry, traffic and an arts center are big topics during a meeting on the comprehensive plan.

10/11/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Most everyone has a worry when it comes to the future. Kay Whatley’s happens to be about industry on Ga. 53.

“We want it livable,” Whatley said at a public meeting Monday night on a comprehensive plan for the next 20 years. “They have spot zoning. They’ve taken our agriculture and made spot zoning.”

Another Ga. 53 area resident, Janice Holley Houck, nodded her head. “Fifty-three is all heavy industry and no planning.”

Whatley and Houck were two of some 50 people who spent their Monday evening looking over maps of Rome and Floyd County. The members of the crowd, broken into smaller groups for discussion, talked about their problems, dreams and the current realities of a county everyone calls home.

The exercise, which will be repeated today from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hearn Academy building in Cave Spring, is an essential component of a comprehensive plan currently in the works. The state-mandated plan will serve as a blueprint for development. While the Unified Land Development Code is a set of rules for development, the comprehensive plan helps shape what those rules should become for years.

That is, if it’s done correctly.

“People will say, ‘We want high-paying, clean jobs,’” said Michael Lauer, principal of Planning Works. “Who doesn’t?”

“Comprehensive planning is a process,” Lauer continued. “It’s a document you need to open regularly, or else it’s going to be a dust collector.”

In order to provide public input to the plan’s creation, people discussed questionnaire points in small groups. Frank Murphy of Rome pointed to traffic congestion, unplanned growth and spot variances as some problems.

“We have a very high high school drop-out rate,” said Frank Beacham.

Each group wrote down discussion points. Moving on to the strengths, Murphy pointed to the county’s rivers and colleges. Allen Bell, executive director of the Rome Area Council for the Arts, added its medical facilities and cultural environment.

Debra Cook, the new director of the Rome Symphony Orchestra, agreed. “I think the arts play a major part of what needs to happen in the next 20 years,” Cook said. “I want to see more in the way of arts, in the collaboration with RACA, Rome Little Theater and the orchestra.”

Both Cook and Dan Bishop, Darlington School’s fine arts department chair and chorale director, want a performing arts center in town. “That’s something we are badly in need of,” Bishop said.

Planners now will take Bishop’s desire for a new arts center, Murphy’s traffic congestion and Whatley’s industry concerns, along with everyone else’s completed questionnaires, and use them in developing a community assessment.

The assessment will include the public input as well as information such as current and future population and the number of buses in the community and their routes.

Rome-Floyd County Planning Department Director Sue Hiller will work on the assessment during the next month. The comprehensive plan process could take as long as 18 months, though two more sets of public meetings are planned.

“We don’t know your problems,” Lauer said. “That’s why your participation is essential.”

IF YOU GO

What: Comprehensive plan workshop/ice cream social

When: Today, 7 to 9 p.m.

Where: Hearn Academy building, Cave Spring

City and County OKs West Third Street project

2005-09-29T13:47:00.000-05:00

See PDF of Memorandum of Understanding.

The Rome City Commission this morning approved a memorandum of understanding with the developers of the West Third Street project.

The vote was 7-1. City Commissioner Kim Canada voted against the measure. Commissioner Katie Dempsey abstained. Mayor Ronnie Wallace and Commissioners Jamie Doss, Bill Collins, Bill Fricks, Wright Bagby Jr., Norman Skidmore and Buzz Wachsteter all voted for the proposal.

County OKs West 3rd funding

The 3-2 vote by Floyd County commissioners comes with conditions attached.

10/12/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The West Third Street redevelopment project moved a step forward Tuesday, when the Floyd County Commission agreed to chip in its share of the funding.

But the agreement, approved in a 3-2 vote, comes with conditions attached and is far from a ringing endorsement of the plan.

“I don’t think there’s a single person in the room that would have signed the (memorandum of understanding) the city signed with the developers,” Commissioner Garry Fricks told his fellow commissioners during the caucus prior to the vote. “But it’s not our risk.”

Fricks and Commissioners John Mayes and Jerry Jennings voted in favor of a resolution to funnel back a portion of the county’s increased tax revenue from the redevelopment to help pay off bonds Rome will issue to fund part of the project.

“I think this is an opportunity for us to be proactive for our community and our future,” Jennings said, adding that he’s “an enthusiastic supporter.”

The resolution is dependent on the Rome City Commission signing an intergovernmental agreement with a draft of conditions minimizing the county’s financial risk.

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Mayes offered to temporarily withhold his support to give Commission Chairman Chuck Hufstetler and Commissioner Tom Bennett more time to review the county’s protections, but both said their objections went deeper.

“I hope the development is successful, but I don’t think the numbers are good for the taxpayers,” Hufstetler said. “There’s not enough value to the return.”

Hufstetler said what started as a simple land swap has evolved into a complicated project that now relies on the addition of school and county tax pledges for financial viability — and the city may still have to back the bonds with its general fund.

“And we’re losing our recreation offices and gymnastics center. Those are not replaced in the agreement,” he added.

Hufstetler and Bennett also questioned the legality of a provision that calls for the city to build two parking decks and transfer them to Northwest GA LLC for less than the cost of construction.

Bennett said he thinks the county’s liability is protected, but the city’s promise to upgrade roads, sewers, parks and other infrastructure amounts to preferential treatment of a private citizen.

“This is a great deal, but the government’s responsibility is to accommodate, not enable,” Bennett said. “It should not use tax subsidies to take from one business to give to another, and what it does for one it should be willing to do for all.”

The next step is for city and county representatives to draft the intergovernmental agreement, which must be signed by Dec. 31.

The project will transform the West Third Street area into a mixed-use extension of the downtown district with housing, offices, stores, restaurants and a possible hotel.

Barron Stadium and the Rome-Floyd Tennis Center would be moved to State Mutual Stadium and Riverside Parkway, respectively.

Although Bennett clung to his reservations, he said the future benefits to the community are “almost infinite” if the development happens as planned.

COUNTY CONDITIONS

To limit its financial risk in the West Third Street redevelopment project, the Floyd County Commission is proposing certain conditions in its intergovernmental agreement with the Rome City Commission.

Among the protections:

* Rome will repay the county’s legal and development costs incurred before the bonds are issued for the Phase I projects.

* If there are excess funds to distribute, the county will get its full share first instead of prorating the money between the city and county. The provision, aimed at ensuring the county gets its return quickly, makes it unlikely that Rome can pay off the bonds early.

* Bonds are limited to a total of $24,714,062, which is the amount for the three development phases listed in the agreement between Rome and Northwest GA LLC.

* The county will not pay to build or relocate any of the recreational facilities and will provide only grant money for a proposed pedestrian bridge across the Oostanaula River.

* Cost of the annual debt service on the bonds is capped at $2.2 million unless the county agrees to increase it. The provision is meant to limit spending if interest rates soar beyond the projections.

What Romans are saying about gas prices

2005-09-23T13:46:00.000-05:00

A journal of reactions to the recent spike in gas prices spurred on by fears from Hurricane distruction to pipelines, refineries, and gas supplies.

Hurricane Rita, September 23, 2005

Station: Kangaroo BP
Location: N. Broad Street
Regular Price: $2.66
Customer Comment: John Hoban, Rome: Everyone wants to get on to the gas stations, but people should be getting on to the oil companies.

Station: Kmart Express
Location: Hicks Drive
Regular Price: $2.65
Customer Comment: Julie Bates, Silver Creek: I hate that it’s happening, but you’ve gotta get gas. It’s too high already.

Station: East Rome Kroger
Location: Riverbend Drive
Price: $2.62
Customer Comment: Pam Barrett, Rome: It’s ridiculous.

Station: Cowboy’s BP
Location: Turner McCall
Regular Price: $2.67
Customer Comment: Kevin Dinjamin, Atlanta: It’s terrible that I have to put more money in now.

Station: Citgo
Location: Turner McCall
Regular Price: $2.65
Customer Comment: Hugh Moore, Rome: If people didn’t get into a rush and go out to buy it (gas), maybe they would quit raising it (price).

Station: Citgo
Location: U.S. 27 South
Regular Price: $2.66
Customer Comment: Harvey Pool, Rome: It’s rough, that’s all there is to it.

Station: Kangaroo
Location: U.S. 27 South
Regular Price: $2.65
Customer Comment: Anthony Allen, Cedartown: There’s not much we can do about it. People are just going to have to adapt.

Station: Kangaroo
Location: Shorter Avenue across from American Legion
Regular Price: $2.65
Customer Comment: Kim Watters, Taylorsville: I expected it. I think the price at the pump should match that of crude oil.

Station: BP
Location: Shorter Avenue across from American Legion
Regular Price: $2.69
Customer Comment: Richard Sterno, Rome: Everybody goes crazy when it rises, but if they didn’t get in a rush it would go right back down.

Station: Texaco
Location: Martha Berry Highway
Regular Price: $2.69
Customer Comment: Melissa Mann, Calhoun: It’s just too ridiculous!

Station: Citgo
Location: Martha Berry Highway
Regular Price: $2.69
Customer Comment: Rick Nelson, Rome: It’s time to get out the horse and buggy again.

Station: Texaco Favorite
Location: Martha Berry Boulevard
Regular Price: $2.69
Customer Comment: Lashella Roaderick, Rome: It’s crazy!

Hurricane Katrina, August 31, 2005

At Turner McCall Boulevard Kroger station, 5 p.m.:
Price: $2.87 gal.

Beverly Mooney, Rome: “They’re (the prices) really ridiculous, but I hope they’re down soon.” She came to this station because she said Shorter Avenue stations were packed. She had been waiting for 30-40 minutes at this station but was about to get gas.

Ken Barton, Rome: “It’s gonna be a hard time for awhile. I’m serious. I figure it’ll get worse before it gets better.” Barton’s questioning why prices jumped so high so fast. Barton waited 15 minutes in the line.

At Texaco, Turner McCall near Avenue A, 5:15 p.m.
Price: $2.97 gal.

Gloria Rogers, Marietta. “I mean this stinks, but you have to do what you have to do. You have to drive.” Her mom called her from Marietta in a panic about prices, so Gloria stopped to fill up her tank.

Gene Greer, Rome. “Back in ’68 it was 33 cents a gallon.” He said his boss sent him to get gas for mowers for a landscaping business. He was filling up jugs of gas for the business.

At Amoco between East First & Broad Street, 5:26 p.m.
Price: $2.88 gal.

Mike Waugh, Rome: “I’m sure it’s gonna hit $4 or $5 bucks. I’m just gotta get some gas.” He had an empty tank when he arrived.

Morgan Myers, Rome: “I think it’s crazy. I just got my license a week ago and I have to deal with this. It’s really rough.” She has a half a tank of gas already, but her concerned mother called her and told her to get some more.

At Favorite Market on Martha Berry across from Heritage Nissan, 5:34 p.m.
Price: $2.91 gal.

John Kidd, Calhoun: “I think everybody heard about shortages coming up. We’re getting gas because we plan on driving cross country tomorrow - we’re going to Washington State. I’m like a lot of middle class citizens, we’re on a budget, and it’s tight for everybody right now.”

Charlie Seamans, Berry College student from Atlanta: “I had to get gas anyway today. We were sitting in class and a teacher brought up there might be a shortage so I thought I’d go ahead and get it. I’m going to have to budget more carefully. This will definitely take up more of my weekly money.”

Dan Wilson, Rome: “This is the most crazy thing I’ve ever seen. I think absolutely it’s price gouging. I would say it’s un-American for companies to do this and make additional money at a time like this. We were absolutely on empty and that’s the only reason we came here.”

Rhonda’s East 8th St. and Turner McCall, 5:40 p.m.
Price: $2.99 gal.

J.D. Clockadale, Atlanta: “To be honest with you I haven’t thought much about it. I live in Atlanta and I have no choice but to drive here.” He’d heard that prices were $3.20 in Atlanta and lines were out into the street.

Lisa Caldwell, Rome: “They’re astronomical. I feel sorry for people with bigger vehicles – the SUV’s.” She came to get gas because she heard prices were going up.

At Amoco on Grace Drive and U.S. 411
Price $2.99 gal.

Pat Collins, Rome: “They’re higher than yesterday and probably lower than tomorrow.” She said she just needed gas today and heard on the radio that there might be transport problems.

Steve Allen, Rome: “I think they’re ripping us off. It’s just outrageous.” But he’s not letting that stop him from going fishing, he was filling up his boat.

At Shell station corner of Redmond Circle and Lavendar Drive, 6 p.m.
Price $2.99 gal.

Thomas Muller, Rome: “I was at a little less than half a tank, so I thought I better get some. There’s probably some difficulties in supplying the stations, but I don’t think it's fair to go up this much. I really think the refineries and distributors are taking advantage of people right now.”

Jackie Hogue, Rome: “I needed to get gas yesterday, but I fiddled around and didn’t get it. And my light came on today so I had to get some. I don’t drive that much – to church, to work and then home – that’s it. I went to Florida two weeks ago and gas was almost $3 a gallon down there. We thought that was expensive.”

Thuy Nguyen, college student at Berry, Rome: “I was a little low but my mom called me today and told me to fill up. I’m a commuter student but now I stay on campus longer during the day. I don’t go back and forth as much. I’m not too worried right now, I guess I just have to work a little more to pay for gas now.”

At Walmart service station on U.S. 411, 6:03 p.m.
Price: $2.85 gal.

Jamie Wade, Aragon: “I think it’s outrageous, it’s too high. People are crazy.” Her boyfriend told her by Friday Georgia was going to be completely out of gas – that a supply line had ruptured.

Jeff Fletcher, Silver Creek: “It’s crazy. They take a bad situation and made it worse by bumping prices up.” He was putting gas in another car in Cartersville earlier today at a Cowboy’s and the price was at $2.83. When he finished and put the pump nozzle back up he saw the price click up to $2.94.
The line at Walmart was backed up from the station to the entry off Callier Springs Road.

At Shell Southern Pride, Rockmart Highway. 6:15 p.m.
Price: $2.85 gal.

Elizabeth Stiles, Cedartown: “I think it’s too expensive — way too expensive.” She heard that all the gas was going to run out. There was a 10 minute line at this station to get gas.

Johnny Hann, Rome: “It’s just ridiculous. I don’t see how Americans are going to make it, especially with no increase in pay.” He already had half a tank of gas but saw it was $3.09 a gallon in Cartersville, so he decided he better get gas now.

At Stallion on Rockmart Highway, 6:41 p.m.
Price: $2.87 gal.

Shelia Driggers, Silver Creek: She said she went to Haney’s and they were sold out, so she went to Stallion and they’re only letting people by 10 gallons max. “What am I going to do?” She waited 20 minutes to get gas.

Carol Toney, Troup: “It’s ridiculous! It’s already $3.09 in Troup, and it’s supposed to go up $.50 in the morning.” She said she’d heard it would be several weeks before “they” get more gas.

At Maple Quick Stop, Lindale, 6:44 p.m.
Price: $2.88 gal.

Robert Landrum, Rome: “I think it’s outrageous. It’s going to put everyone in bad shape.” He said people seem to think there would be no more gas and while he didn’t know if that was true or not, he came to get gas to last for a few days.

Gwen Herbertson, Rome. “I don’t understand what’s going on. I just know someone told me I’ve got to fill my tank up.”

Delta plans to cut up to 9,000 jobs, pay and change route network

2005-09-22T10:28:00.000-05:00

09/22/05
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Delta Air Lines Inc. said Thursday it will cut up to 9,000 jobs, or 17 percent of the work force at its flagship service, and reduce pay and make changes to its route network to focus more on international flying as it moves swiftly to restructure its costs in bankruptcy.

The changes are part of the nation's third biggest carrier's effort to save an additional $3 billion annually by the end of 2007. That's on top of $5 billion Delta had previously said it wanted to save by the end of 2006.

The company's chief executive, Gerald Grinstein, will take a 25 percent pay cut and all other executives will take a 15 percent pay cut.

``The only thing that surprised me is that they did it so quickly,'' Ray Neidl, an airline analyst with Calyon Securities in New York, said of the changes. ``It shows that they're determined to turn this airline around.''

The 7,000 to 9,000 job cuts will come from the 52,000 people employed at Delta's flagship airline and not at any of its affiliated airlines, spokeswoman Chris Kelly said. They are on top of roughly 24,000 jobs that Delta has said it would shed since 2001, when the terrorist attacks sent the major airlines into a tailspin most of them have never recovered from.

Delta and its subsidiaries listed in regulatory filings 65,300 employees as of June 30, but that figure included recently sold feeder carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines. It was not immediately clear how many employees Delta and its 18 subsidiaries, including discount carrier Song and feeder carrier Comair, currently have.

The new cuts come eight days after Delta filed for bankruptcy protection in New York. No. 4 U.S. carrier Northwest Airlines Corp. filed for Chapter 11 later the same day. On Wednesday, Northwest said it will lay off 1,400 flight attendants by January.

Delta's Grinstein said the plan announced Thursday is designed to ``save Delta in the near term, so that it can compete and win in the long term.'' He said the effort will protect Delta from the threats posed by its competitors and make the company profitable in just over two years.

Among the highlights of the plan:

-In the bankruptcy case, Delta's goal is to save $970 million annually through debt relief, lease and facility savings and fleet changes. The company has already rejected leases on 40 mainline aircraft and plans to cut its mainline fleet by another 80-plus aircraft by the end of 2006.

-Another $1.1 billion in annual savings is expected to be gained through changes to Delta's route network. It will reduce domestic mainline capacity by 15 percent to 20 percent; At the same time, it will increase international capacity by 25 percent in 2006 to pursue more profitable routes.

-Roughly $930 million in annual savings will be gained through reduced employment costs, employee productivity improvements and overhead reductions. The total includes savings of $325 million from Delta pilots and $605 million from the non-pilot work force, including management. The pilot reductions would have to be agreed to by the pilot union or imposed on the union in bankruptcy court. The union agreed to $1 billion in annual concessions a year ago.

Besides the pay cuts for executives, there also will be a 9 percent pay reduction for supervisory and other administrative personnel. Pay scales will be reduced 7 percent to 10 percent for most frontline employees, excluding those earning less than $25,000 annually.

Grinstein said in a memo to employees Thursday that the changes could prompt some of them to leave the company.

``Delta people understandably must make career decisions based on their own best interests and personal circumstances,'' Grinstein wrote. ``For those who leave the company either through choice or by the plan's requirements, I hope you know how much your service has been appreciated.''

To those who stay, Grinstein said Delta ``needs every ounce of your proven professionalism.''

Atlanta-based Delta has lost nearly $10 billion since January 2001. An initial transformation plan announced a year ago, which included up to 7,000 job cuts and the shedding of the airline's Dallas hub, was hampered by the high price of jet fuel, something most airlines have had trouble overcoming.

Cedartown teachers reinstated

2005-09-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

09/21/05
Marc Dadigan

Two Cedartown High School cheerleading coaches, placed on administrative leave during an investigation into alleged nude photographs of team members, have been reinstated as special education teachers but will stop coaching the team, according to a statement released today from the Polk County Schools.

Superintendent Darrell Sorrells wrote in the statement that the investigation found no illegal activities had taken place during a June 17 summer retreat at Weiss Lake in Alabama. The teachers, Amber Fuqua and Rhonda Lindsey, and the school system “mutually agreed” they should not return as coaches.

The women filed federal lawsuits last month against Sorrells and the county’s school board on grounds of unfair suspension, but the suits were dismissed last week by a federal judge.

According to the suits, the women were put on administrative leave with pay Aug. 12 after Sorrells questioned them about the possible existence of nude photographs taken during the retreat.

The women claimed in their suits the school system has no evidence the photographs exist and violated their rights of due process as well as the Georgia Open Records Act during its investigation.

Rome School Board officially supports stadium move

2005-09-21T15:27:00.000-05:00

09/21/05
Marc Dadigan

At a called meeting early this morning, the Rome Board of Education formally declared its support of the proposed West Third Street development.

“This is going to change Rome,” said Board Member Jim Greer. “It’s going to bring in jobs, an influx of people in the medical industry. It’s all positive for us.”

The board voted unanimously to issue a statement of support for the City Commission’s efforts to secure the proposed project that would move Barron Stadium and the Rome-Floyd Tennis Center to land near State Mutual Stadium. West Third Street would become a multi-use development with retail space, residences, offices and green space.

“The stadium is going to be much better, and there’s going to be a lot more parking available,” Board Member Gene Clark said of the facility, which is also where Rome High School plays its home football games.

Parental permission bill will return to Georgia Legislature

2005-09-19T09:53:00.000-05:00

09/19/05
Associated Press

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A bill that would require parental permission for students to join school clubs or other extracurricular activities will resurface in the Georgia Legislature next year and could threaten gay clubs around the state.

State Rep. Bobby Reese, R-Sugar Hill, will push his version of the bill, which died in committee during the last session.

``To me, it's just common sense,'' Reese said. ``Why would anyone not want to know what their child is doing in school?''

While Reese said the bill is intended only to inform parents, not target certain clubs, both conservatives and gay rights activists see such legislation as a way to curb gay-straight clubs like one in rural White County that caused controversy.

Sen. Ralph Hudgens, R-Comer, said he will add his name back to the Senate version of the parental notification bill, sponsored by Sen. Nancy Schaefer, R-Turnerville. He had withdrawn it when state education officials said they would consider a similar policy of their own. But they too dropped the effort after complaints from groups including the American Civil Liberties Union.

Hudgens said he hopes the bill will discourage membership in gay-straight clubs by alerting parents to their children's' participation.

``From my perspective, homosexuality is a perversion,'' Hudgens said. ``I would want to know if my child is joining the club and why is he joining the club.''

A parental permission law could reduce participation in gay clubs by forcing students to ``come out'' to their parents before joining. It could also reduce membership by letting parents forbid their child's participation, gay rights activists say.

Conservative groups like the Christian Coalition and the Eagle Forum voiced support for such legislation last year, specifically citing gay-straight clubs as a reason.

Rep. Jane Kidd, D-Athens, a member of the House education committee the bill will have to pass through, said she expects Republicans to make the parental permission bill a priority next year.

``It'll be brought up first thing,'' Kidd said.

But Kidd said she will oppose the bill because she does not want to put limits on gay-straight school clubs.

``I think it's important that students have those types of associations after school,'' Kidd said. ``A lot of parents don't like it, but their children don't have to participate.''

Despite opposition over gay clubs in White County and also Madison County, there are about 40 gay-straight alliances in schools across Georgia that enjoy community support, said Josh Lamont, a spokesman for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

``These types of situations are the exception, not the rule,'' Lamont said of the gay club disputes in the two north Georgia communities.

Zoning, water on city agenda

2005-09-19T08:31:00.000-05:00

Bed and breakfast seeking OK for special-use permit

09/19/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The Between the Rivers Historic District could get a bed and breakfast, if the Rome City Commission approves a special permit at its meeting today.

Greg Price, who wants to open the business at 300 E. Fourth Ave., requested the permit at the September meeting of the Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission. The commission denied his request 6-2, though the City Commission has the final say.

Rome’s Planning Director Sue Hiller will report on the request tonight at 6:30 in City Hall before a public hearing is held on the issue.

“That’s how a special-use permit works,” Hiller said. “You go through on a case-by-case basis.”

Bed and breakfasts are allowed in historic districts, but they must have special-use permits. Hiller’s office recommended to planners, if they supported the permit, to limit the bed and breakfast’s use to the definition in the Unified Land Development Code.

If the commission follows that recommendation, Price’s business could have rooms for rent but no meetings or receptions.

In another matter, the commission is expected to give City Manager John Bennett the authority to sign a contract with Johnson Controls. The $9,695,407 contract will lead to new water meters across the city.

“This is the last step before (Johnson Controls) start doing it,” Bennett said. “I would suspect they’ll start within a month. They’re ready to go.”

The water meters, whose installation should take less than a year to complete citywide, will more accurately account for how much water is used. Many city residents may not pay for all the water they use, since older meters don’t account for usage as well as newer ones.

Some residents could see water bills increase by $3, Bennett said. Others may not see any increase at all.

Some 3,500 residences out of 14,000 had new meters installed within the past three years. Bennett said those homes should not see a change in their water bills.

New group wants a hand in a better community

2005-09-19T07:42:00.000-05:00

Hands on Rome Floyd County will launch with a volunteer week beginning Sept. 26.

09/19/05
By Sonya Elkins, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Where there is a will, Hands on Rome Floyd County hopes to connect a way.

The new organization is a part of the Hands on Network, a national civic movement with state and regional chapters. The organization is intended to recruit and organize volunteers for projects within the community.

“This is about people getting active in the community,” said Pete McDonald, chairman of the board of directors. “We believe in involving people of all ages and genders. We believe people can make a difference, and masses of people can make a tremendous difference.”

It will host a Web site listing local volunteer opportunities, allowing Romans to browse their options based on availability, skills and interests. The site at www.handsongeorgia.org will open Oct. 31.

The site will let interested community organizations post volunteer opportunities, from churches to organizers of civic events. Volunteers can enter available hours, interests and even organizations they are interested in working with. They can choose from opportunities and receive e-mails from compatible organizations.

The site will be free to users and organizations.

Organizers have applied for a $10,000 grant from Hands on Georgia to cover operations, McDonald said, and they hope it will cover operational expenses for several years.

Overseen by a board of volunteers, it will have no paid staff at least through its first years of operation. Its temporary office is in space donated by Georgia Power, so its only costs will be Web site hosting fees and for a phone line. They hope to run the organization for a few thousand dollars a year, he said.

Hands on Rome Floyd County will kick-start its community efforts with a volunteer week from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1, in recognition of Hands on Georgia week, a statewide annual week of volunteer events coordinated by the state chapter of the organization.

The local group has about 200 volunteers committed to the six opportunities throughout the week, McDonald said.

A Coosa River Basin Initiative workday Oct. 1 is among the opportunities. Volunteers will partner with Rome to clear a new walking and biking path along the Etowah River from the South Broad Bridge to Cantrell Street.

“Our goal is to have annual events with Hands On Rome to provide people around Rome with opportunities to volunteer with CRBI,” said CRBI program coordinator Katie Owens.

VOLUNTEER WEEK OPPORTUNITIES

Hands on Georgia Volunteer Week: Sept. 26-Oct. 1

* Habitat for Humanity’s Apostles Build will include 12 congregations working to build a home at 320 Cooper St. Call 706-378-0030 for more information.

* The Rome-Floyd County Latino community is trying to recruit students to study English as a second language. Call 706-291-6033 for more information.

* The Rome Soup Kitchen serves meals Monday through Friday at First Baptist Church of Rome. Call 706-295-6960 for more information.

* The Floyd County Cemetery Preservation Association is organizing a cleanup of Antioch Cemetery with district Boy Scouts. Call 706-295-6960 for more information.

* Shorter College is hosting a Foster Children Fun Event for foster parents and children. Call 706-295-6960 for more information.

* The Coosa River Basin Initiative is hosting a workday to clear a new trail along the Etowah River. Call 706-232-2724 for more information.

Gay marriage supporters flood into Mass. Statehouse for vote on proposed constitutional amendment

2005-09-14T13:57:00.000-05:00

09/14/05
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Gay-marriage supporters flooded into the Statehouse on Wednesday, countered by a smaller group of opponents, for a vote by lawmakers against a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit marriage to between a man and a woman.

Early arrivals lined Beacon Street holding signs and banners. Hundreds more signs leaned against the Statehouse fence, and flats of bottled water were stacked in preparation for a long day of rallying and lobbying.

People gathered in front the Statehouse and in front of the House chamber, where debate was to begin later Wednesday. The turnout was significantly lower than during last year's debate on the amendment, which drew hundreds of people on both sides of the issue.

Charlotte Craig, 49, arrived at the locked Statehouse doors at dawn to be first in line to get into the House chamber. When the building opened, she took a position with dozens of others behind velvet ropes outside the chamber.

Even though the ban on gay marriage was expected to fail, she said she came early so that she could see how lawmakers voted and which ones changed their minds during the past year, when more than 6,100 gay and lesbian couples married.

``A lot of us want to see the change happen, and be a part of that, and just show our support,'' she said.

Last year, after the state's Supreme Judicial Court ruling in 2003 that same-sex marriage was legal, the amendment passed the Legislature 105-92. It must pass a second vote to get on next year's ballot. The first marriages took place May 17, 2004.

Unlike last year, when roughly comparable numbers of people on both sides of the issue were on hand, the vast majority of the people in the Statehouse on Wednesday were gay-marriage supporters.

About six opponents, including retired school teacher Al Sunderland, 76, gathered upstairs from the House chamber. They have asked lawmakers to support an alternative proposal that would ban gay marriage but make no provision for civil unions. Backers must gather signatures before it reaches the Legislature; the soonest it could be on a ballot is 2008.

Roberts says he won't decide cases according to personal views

2005-09-14T13:53:00.000-05:00

09/14/05
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice nominee John Roberts said Wednesday that the law, not his own personal views, would be his guide in deciding right-to-die cases that might come before the Supreme Court.

At the same time, Roberts stopped short of providing his specific views on the issue — as he has steadfastly done on other contentious subjects in three days of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. That left Democrats chafing.

``We are rolling the dice with you judge,'' said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., who made no headway in extracting Roberts' personal feelings about when to decide to end life supports for an ailing family member.

Republicans in the GOP-controlled Senate made it clear that President Bush's choice was on a smooth path toward confirmation to a lifetime job, and they challenged Democrats who might oppose Roberts' nomination to be the nation's 17th chief justice.

``If people can't vote for you, then I doubt that they can vote for any Republican nominee,'' said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

A persistent Biden sought Roberts' opinion on whether any law could trump the right to die, but the nominee would say little more than his oft-repeated response that it would be inappropriate to comment on a case that he might decide.

``There are cases that come up exactly in that context ... before the court,'' Roberts said. ``I will confront them with an open mind. They won't be based on my personal views. They will be based on my understanding of the law.''

Roberts parried lawmakers' questions on a wide variety of subjects — eminent domain, voting rights, the death penalty, the use of foreign law by jurists.

Republicans portrayed the appellate judge and former political appointee in the Reagan and first Bush administration as a brilliant legal scholar who is highly capable of leading the court for at least a generation. Bush chose Roberts to succeed the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who died Sept. 3 of cancer.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said the nominee had his vote, and John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Roberts ``may very well be the most qualified nominee ever appointed'' to the court.

Early in his testimony on Wednesday, Roberts' second day of answering senators' questions, the nominee said Congress has the right to counter Supreme Court rulings including a divisive decision giving cities broad power to seize and raze people's homes for private development.

A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that cities can take and bulldoze people's homes in favor of shopping malls or other private development to generate tax revenue. The decision drew a scathing dissent from Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as favoring rich corporations, and Republican lawmakers and some Democrats have criticized it as infringing on states' rights.

``This body and legislative bodies in the states are protectors of the people's rights,'' Roberts said.

Congress has been working on legislation that would ban the use of federal funds for any project that gets a go-ahead relying on the Kelo v. City of New London, Conn., decision.

Also on the question of congressional versus court authority, committee chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., bristled at lawmakers ``being treated as schoolchildren'' in criticism from some judges, including Justice Antonin Scalia.

Roberts said the Supreme Court was not the taskmaster of Congress. ``The Constitution is the court's taskmaster and it's Congress' taskmaster as well,'' he said.

Roberts was pressed by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., about the Voting Rights Act and a provision that allows the government to veto proposed changes in state or local election systems if they are deemed to have a discriminatory purpose or effect on minority voters.

``I have no basis for viewing this as constitutionally suspect,'' Roberts told Kennedy.

Roberts also:

Said if four justices voted for a stay of execution and a fifth vote were necessary to keep the appeal alive temporarily, he would cast the fifth vote. ``I think that practice makes a lot of sense.''

Reiterated his opposition to the use of foreign law in rendering U.S. court decisions, but he rejected the notion that judges who do so are violating their oaths as some conservatives have argued.

``I wouldn't accuse judges or justices who disagree with that, though, of violating their oaths. I'd accuse them of getting it wrong on that point,'' Roberts said.

The high court in the two decades that Rehnquist has served as chief justice has had many sharp divisions, reflected in 5-4 rulings on major cases including Bush v. Gore that decided the presidency in 2000.

Roberts contended that the chief justice has a responsibility to pursue agreement.

``I do think the chief justice has a particular obligation to try to achieve consensus consistent with everyone's individual oath to uphold the Constitution, and that would certainly be a priority for me if I were confirmed,'' said Roberts, whose promotion would be a lifetime appointment.

If confirmed, Roberts, 50, would be the youngest chief justice in 200 years. He is expected to earn the Senate's approval before the Supreme Court begins its term Oct. 3.

President Bush had originally nominated Roberts, a federal appeals court judge and conservative lawyer in the Reagan and first Bush administrations, to succeed O'Connor, who announced in July that she would retire. Upon Rehnquist's death, Bush chose Roberts for chief justice.

County plans to move ahead on road projects

2005-09-12T07:59:00.000-05:00

09/12/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The Floyd County Commission is expected to award a contract Tuesday for right-of-way acquisition on Chulio, Old Dalton and Huffaker roads.

The 2003 special purpose, local option sales tax provided $650,000 for right-of-way needed to improve Chulio and Old Dalton roads. Voters rejected in July a SPLOST proposal containing construction funding, but officials have said the upgrades remain a priority due to increasing development along the roads.

Georgia Power Co. is paying to widen two miles of Huffaker Road, from Technology Parkway to its new coal ash landfill for Plant Hammond.

“The plans are complete,” County Manager Kevin Poe said. “Once we start the acquisition it should take about three months and we can, hopefully, start construction next year.”

Funding to continue widening Huffaker another 4.7 miles to Ga. 20 had been included in the failed 2005 SPLOST package.

Commissioners hold their caucus session at noon, with the regular meeting following at 2 p.m. in the Historic Floyd County Courthouse.

Also on Tuesday, commissioners will get a financial report on Citizens for Better Parks Inc. The 20-year-old nonprofit organization was formed as a fund-raising arm for the Rome-Floyd County Parks and Recreation Authority.

Bookkeeping has been sporadic through the years and commissioners hired accounting firm Read, Martin & Slickman to compile a complete record of transactions.

Poe said the report notes some unconventional activities but “the bottom line is that all the money is accounted for.”

Among the other items on the agenda is a public hearing on a request to rezone property at 1158 Chulio Road to allow construction of a warehouse instead of apartments.

The Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission split on the issue and did not submit an official recommendation.

County commissioners delayed a decision at their Aug. 23 meeting pending further information on the potential impact to the rural residential area.

Georgia issues 20 letters of notice to gas stations

2005-09-07T07:52:00.000-05:00

09/07/05
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — The Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs has sent 20 letters of notice to gasoline stations deemed to be violating the governor's rules on price gouging.

The office has received at least 1,000 complaints since Gov. Sonny Perdue warned stations against price gouging last week, spokesman Bill Cloud said.

The office has sent 20 notices contemplating legal action and to give station operators a chance to explain the prices they are charging, Cloud said. The stations that received notices are centered in metro Atlanta, with a few in south Georgia, Cloud said.

The fuel industry has been a favorite target of jaded motorists and irate politicians since last week, when gas prices skyrocketed to as high as $6 a gallon after Hurricane Katrina disrupted gas shipments from the Gulf Coast.

On Friday, Perdue ordered a monthlong moratorium on state gas taxes and called legislators into a special session Tuesday to ratify the decision. The governor's order suspends Georgia's 7.5 cents-a-gallon excise tax and 4 percent sales tax on gasoline until the end of September.

He also signed an executive order authorizing state sanctions against gas stations that gouge consumers.

Bridge bid high, again

2005-09-07T07:34:00.000-05:00

09/07/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Rome officials were stunned Tuesday at the single, over-budget bid received for construction of a proposed pedestrian bridge across the Oostanaula River.

Further investigation is planned, but several baffled staffers suggested that contractors could be gearing up for work in the hurricane-devastated parts of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.

“It’s possible,” City Manager John Bennett said. “Bridge-building is a very specialized area, and very regional.”

The sole bid of $4.65 million came from Gilberet Southern Corp. of Peachtree City. Rome leaders had been expecting a price as high as $2.5 million and were scrambling to find money to add to a $1.2 million Georgia Department of Transportation grant.

“As is very obvious, this is way over budget,” said Bill Gilliland, Rome’s purchasing director. “The city has the option of trying to fund the project or rejecting the bid, and a decision should be made within 30 days.”

The proposed bridge would connect The Forum parking lot to West Third Street. It is cited as a necessary component of the pending plan to redevelop West Third Street as a multi-use district with residences, shops and green space.

Bennett said it is too soon to gauge the effect of the apparent lack of contractor-interest in the bridge project.

“We still have the DOT money,” he said. “We’ll certainly look at all the other options we might have in trying to build a bridge.”

Gilliland said he notified all 14 of the qualified bridge-builders listed with the state, and 10 of the companies requested specification packets. The bid-opening, originally scheduled for Aug. 25, was reset to Tuesday after the state DOT revised its specifications and several expected bidders asked for extensions to finalize their offers.

The pedestrian bridge has been put out for bid four times since the grant was awarded in 1999, but DOT revisions and high prices have stalled the project. The DOT pulled the grant in March, but David Doss, state transportation chairman and a former Floyd County commissioner, said he would reinstate it if the West Third Street project moves forward.

Lawmakers to OK gas tax break

2005-09-07T07:31:00.000-05:00

The special session is expected to suspend gas taxes through Sept. 30.

09/07/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The chairman of the state transportation board voiced cautious support Tuesday for the monthlong suspension of Georgia’s gasoline tax.

“The governor recognized that the people and businesses of this state were hurting, and he stepped forward to offer some relief,” said David Doss, a Rome resident and former Floyd County commissioner. “While it’s a $75 million loss for the (Georgia Department of Transportation), we’ll have to shoulder our share of the burden.”

With gas prices topping $3 a gallon in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Gov. Sonny Perdue suspended the state’s 7.5 cents per gallon excise tax and 4 percent sales tax on gasoline through Sept. 30. The Georgia General Assembly is meeting this week to ratify the move.

Doss confirmed the DOT ended the 2005 fiscal year in June with excess revenue and is expecting to net more than its budget in 2006. But he also noted that the state’s 25-year transportation plan is projected to be $16 billion short.

“We may have more revenue than we anticipated, but I don’t want to give anyone the illusion that we’re rolling in extra money,” he said. “We have far more demands than we have revenue to address.”

State Rep. Paul Smith, D-Rome, said he plans to vote for the temporary tax cut, but not without some concern about the future. Although sales-tax revenue increases as prices soar, he said, the state gas tax is prepaid by retailers at a projected price — currently set at $1.67 a gallon.

“The state hasn’t been getting tax on $3 a gallon,” he said. “They’ve been getting more in, but not nearly as much as indicated.”

The legislature is expected to ratify the gas tax suspension Saturday, along with a second measure that increases the mileage rate reimbursed to state employees who use their own vehicles on the job.

State Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome, said there also is discussion about adding to the gas bill a hefty fine for retailers who price-gouge at the pump.

“One idea is a $5,000 fine for every vehicle that fills up at the inflated price,” he said. “And it could go up (before the session ends).”

Reimbursement for mileage to rise

Members of the Floyd County legislative delegation all said they support increasing the 28.5-cent-per-mile reimbursement rate for state employees. Plans are to tie it to the federal rate, which is at 40.5 cents now.

“That needed to be done a long time ago,” said state Rep. Bill Cummings, D-Rockmart. “State employees using their own cars on state business are going into debt.”

State Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, D-Menlo, co-sponsored a similar measure during the past legislative session, but the Democrat-backed bill never made it out of committee for a vote.

The increase is projected to cost $4.9 million, but the current rate is “antiquated” in light of the expense to drive and maintain a car, Sen. Smith said. His position was echoed by state Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville.

“I’m inclined to support it not just for the sake of state employees, who I think are being underpaid, but for other workers whose businesses use the state rate,” Loudermilk said.

It will be Saturday before the bills are processed through both chambers, but the session is limited to the two issues Perdue cited when he convened the legislature.

Reece said she is disappointed that questions regarding the influx of Hurricane Katrina evacuees will not be addressed.

“We’re not just in a gas crisis. We’ve got a lot of things coming down the pike,” she said.

Displaced families will need schools, medical care and jobs, she said, and the legislature should be involved in planning for the coming year.

Romans help Katrina’s victims

2005-09-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

Rome First Baptist sends a charity campaign to Hattiesburg, Miss.

09/06/05
By Marc Dadigan, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

“Good grief.”

Willis Potts’ mouth was agape as his head swiveled from side to side, taking in the sight of uprooted trees, twisted shards of guardrail and mounds of mangled wood that lined Interstate 59 some 40 miles north of Hattiesburg, Miss.

Here were the first hints of Hurricane Katrina’s imprint as Potts and fellow Rome First Baptist Church member Tom Bennett trundled down the highway Monday in a 24-foot rental truck filled with nearly $8,000 in diapers, baby formula, food and bottled water.

As part of their church’s charity campaign for victims of Katrina, the two men volunteered to drive more than six hours to drop off the supplies at Hattiesburg’s University Baptist Church, which has been distributing goods to local residents. Many of them have been without power and running water since Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Monday.

“We’ve always been a caring church, and we saw a need,” Potts said.

Leaving well before daylight, the men arrived in Hattiesburg just after 11 a.m. Traffic lights were destroyed or without power, few stores and fewer gasoline stations were open and the entrails of tree trunks littered residential areas. Bennett navigated carefully as he drew near the church, guiding the truck around a drooping power line.

At the church, a hot but energetic group of volunteers quickly unloaded the truck, and its items were quickly snapped up by residents waiting in lines for rations.

Though the effects of Katrina have not been nearly as horrific for Hattiesburg residents as for those in New Orleans, people are still suffering here a week after the storm. Yet donations delivered by Baptist churches and others from throughout the Southeast, including Rome, are helping to alleviate the needs here and in other cities in Katrina’s path.

“I don’t know what we would have done if this wasn’t here,” said Hattiesburg resident Debra Pendleton.

Her voice coarse and her eyes pleading for sleep, Pendleton tightly gripped the steering wheel of her Camry, as the church’s volunteers handed her canned goods and packaged crackers. Along with her 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, she has slept outside her home’s carport since Katrina ripped apart her roof, she said.

“It’s been awful,” she said. “There’s no water or power, and we can’t even get food stamps. This is the first place we were able to get anything to eat.”

Also in line for water was Lorraine Dove, a receptionist at the Hattiesburg Clinic, which she said was finally going to reopen today. The clinic was on a boil water order.

“Just getting this water here will help a lot,” she said. “We’re going to be busy with a lot of walk-ups tomorrow. People haven’t been able to get their medicine and have probably been waiting for us to open.”

University Baptist member Wilbur Bullock, 84, considered himself one of the lucky ones. Trees punctured his home during the storm, but the damage proved relatively minor and he said he adjusted quickly to life without electricity. “It’s just like my younger days: I washed my underwear and socks myself and hung them on the line to dry,” he said. “You do what you have to, is all.”

Once he covered his roof with a tarp, Bullock got to work at his church’s makeshift distribution center.

“(The hurricane) devastated this town,” he said. “It’s not as bad as on the coast, but a lot of people have major damage to their homes. It’s going to take awhile for us to recover.”

The efforts of the Baptist churches have helped drive the early stages of that recovery. An emergency response team from CBF, with members from Georgia, Alabama and Florida, arrived at Hattiesburg last week and worked to get the distribution center up and running. The team started by assessing the needs of the community (diapers, formula and water were most needed).

It has been a challenge because the church has basically no power and limited storage space, said Ken Corcoran, the minister of missions at First Baptist of Columbus, Ga.

“It’s an in-and-out operation,” he said. “Once we get deliveries we have to get them out to the people who need them because we don’t have anywhere to store it, really.”

Since opening Friday, Corcoran said, the church has received about six big truckloads’ of supplies from several churches and distributed about three-quarters of it. Monday’s delivery was the third Rome First Baptist had made with a fourth planned for Jackson, Miss., later this week, Potts said.

“It’s incredible,” said University Baptist Pastor Phillip Reynolds. “This church was never designed with the thought of being a response center, and we’ve made it into one.”

As for Potts and Bennett, they ate a quick lunch after helping to unload the supplies and then quickly headed back toward Rome.

“(This effort) demonstrates what I love about America,” Potts said. “We can fight for awhile, but when there’s a catastrophe, people stop fussing, hang a flag and figure out what they can do to help.”

Hurricane victim relief efforts

2005-09-01T13:28:00.000-05:00

AP

Post your association / personal relief efforts here. Please feel free to post contact information and full descriptions below to aid in your campaign.

Sky high gas

2005-08-31T15:27:00.000-05:00

TOP: Drivers clog the pumps at the Stallion station on Redmond Circle Wednesday afternoon. (Photo: WTM) BOTTOM: Sold out pumps are covered at the BP on Shorter Avenue near FMC. (Ken Caruthers, RN-T)

Gas prices in Floyd County have climbed as high as 2.87 a gallon by 2:15 this afternoon. That was the price for regular unleaded at several Cowboy stations around town. Meanwhile, people fearing a shortage have been flooding the pumps today, causing a spike in daily sales. Some distributors are afraid that while reserves are available public panic might create a real shortage.

Meanwhile, some stations are currently out of gas. The BP station on Shorter Avenue across from the Marine Corps Reserve Armory is out of gas. Evans Store on the Alabama Highway is out of diesel and expects to be out of gas by the end of the day.

The following is a sample prices in the area for regular unleaded gas:

Rome
Kroger, 2448 Shorter Ave.: $2.82
Kmart Super Center, 102 Hicks Drive: $2.87

Cedartown
Burger King Citgo, 616 N. Main St., $2.69
Enmark Station Inc., 840 N. Main St., Cedartown: $3.01

Ringgold
Conoco, 6966 Nashville St. $2.81
BP, 6860 Battlefield Parkway, $2.99

Calhoun
Cowboys, South Wall Street, $2.89
Hi Tech Fuel, West Line Street, $2.93

Polk cheerleading coaches say school system trying to fire them

2005-08-29T13:44:00.000-05:00

08/29/05
Marc Dadigan / Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Two Cedartown High School cheerleading coaches, who were placed on administrative leave as school officials investigated allegations of nude photographs of cheerleaders, say the school system is illegally trying to fire them, according to federal court records.

The Polk County School system has scheduled a hearing for 9 a.m. Sept. 8, which the two women said will likely be a termination hearing, according to an emergency motion filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Rome.

Amber Fuqua and Rhonda Lindsey, both special education teachers, claim Superintendent Darrell Sorrells expressed interest Aug. 19 in reinstating them as teachers but not as coaches, according to the lawsuit. When the women refused those terms, the hearing was scheduled, they said in the motion.

Sorrells said his attorney has advised him not to comment on the case.

The motion asks the federal court to force the school system to disclose witness statements and other evidence to the women so they can prepare for the hearing. Because the school has allegedly listed more than 65 witnesses who could testify at the hearing, the women say they need more time to prepare a defense, according to the motion.

The school system is not disclosing the records because the investigation into the explicit photographs is ongoing, the motion claims.

Fuqua and Lindsey both filed lawsuits earlier this month against Sorrells and the Polk County School Board after they said they were unfairly suspended.

Both were put on administrative leave with pay Aug. 12 after Sorrells questioned them about the existence of nude photographs that were allegedly taken of cheerleaders while on a summer retreat that took place on June 17 at Weiss Lake in Alabama, according to the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, the women claim that Sorrells and the school system doesn’t have any evidence of the photographs’ existence.

They also accused the school district of violating their rights of due process by suspending her without a written notification and a hearing as required by Georgia law. Rome attorney Stewart Duggan is representing both women.

Girl dies after being struck by car; teen charged

2005-08-29T13:39:00.000-05:00

08/29/05
Staff Report

A 6 year old girl Floyd County girl died early this morning after being struck by a motorist as she was riding her bike Sunday evening, Deputy Coroner Tony Cooper said. Meanwhile, an unidentified 16-year-old boy has been charged with vehicular homicde and leaving the scene of an accident, said Dallas Battle, an investigator with the Floyd County Police Department. Battle said the teen's name is being withheld because he is a juvenile. Taylor Shirey, 6, was rushed to Floyd Medical Center Sunday evening after she was struck on Turner Road by a blue Ford Ranger, police said. She died soon after midnight, Cooper said. Battle said the driver's father noticed damage to his vehicle this morning and took his son to the police station. Battle said the boy will be processed at the Regional Youth Detention Center.

Federal indictment uncovers racketeering charges in Polk, Floyd County

2005-08-29T13:32:00.000-05:00

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against 30 members and associates of a violent drug gang in a case code-named "Operation Reclaim," centered in Polk County. According to the U.S. Attorneys office and the indictment:

The indictment, returned today and since unsealed to allow coordinated arrests, charges the 30 defendants listed below with conspiring to possess and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. Twenty-seven of those defendants are also charged with being part of a racketeering conspiracy. The indictment alleges that between March 11, 2000, and the present date, the defendants conspired to distribute drugs and engage in racketeering activity under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute.

The indictment is part of an 18-month-long investigation, named Operation Reclaim, conducted by local, state and federal law enforcement officers focusing on drug and violent crime activity centered in Cedartown, Georgia, and spreading to Rome, Georgia and northeast Alabama. Combined federal and state prosecutions resulting from Operation Reclaim already include over 40 defendants, resulting in convictions stemming from the distribution of over 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine. Today's unsealed indictment charges the following defendants:

DANIEL VILLENAS-REYES, a/k/a "Oscar," "Daniel Martinez," and "Oscar Hernandez-Ruiz," 34, of Cedartown;

MARCO ANTONIO CORDERO, 30, of Cedartown;

SAMMY DUQUE, 31, of Cedartown;

MARICELLA MARTINEZ, a/k/a "Mary Martinez," age unknown, of Cedartown;

RICHARD GENE SHAW, a/k/a "Ricky Shaw, "44, of Cedartown;

MIGUEL GOICHOCHEA PEREZ, a/k/a "Jesus," 22, of Cedartown;

OSVALDO ANDRADE, 27, of Rome;

JOSH SMITH, 24, of Silver Creek;

SHANE ROSSER, a/k/a "Hawk," 33, of Centre, Alabama;

TIMOTHY STOUP, 39, of St. Petersburg, Florida;

KATHY YORK, 44, of Cedartown;

JUAN DUQUE, 29, of Cedartown;

FELIPE CARMONA ROMERO, a/k/a "Ricardo Ramirez Chavez," 42, of Cedartown;

EDGAR BAUTISTA BECERRA, 27, of Cedartown;

BRANDY KINES, 29, of Rome;

MISTY MCCRAY, 24, of Jacksonville, Florida;

STEPHEN LYNN BROWN, 30, of Cedartown;

BILLY RAY LACKEY, 42, of Felton;

JAMES REX WILSON, a/k/a "Racing Rex," 46, of Cedartown;

JOE JOHNSON, a/k/a "Magoo," 31, of Cedartown;

JAMES GARNER, 47, of Cedartown;

TERRY EDWARD FOLSOM, 47, of Cedartown;

LISA WEAVER, 46, of Cedartown;

DANA CRIDER, 25, of Cedartown;

LARRY WHEELER, 48, of Cedartown;

CHRISTOPHER SORRELLS, 32, of Cedartown;

RANDY THOMPSON, 30, of Cedartown;

IVAN ANTONIO MOLINA, 42, of Cedartown;

DAVID CARTER, 32, of Cedartown; and

TIMOTHY WATSON, 32, of Cedartown

As of today, 27 defendants have been arrested on the federal indictment. 13 additional defendants are also in custody on state charges. All charges were made public at a news conference this afternoon that included representatives of the District Attorneys of Floyd and Polk Counties; the Floyd, Polk County and Cedartown Police Departments; and the Polk County Sheriff's Department. The law enforcement agencies, along with ICE and GBI, participate in the "Northwest Georgia Criminal Enterprise Task Force," a FBI Safe Streets Task Force. The United States Marshal's Service also assisted in the arrests made today.

47 weapons were recovered at a single residence as part of the law enforcement action. Authorities said that at least two of the defendants are considered fugitives: OSVALDO ANDRADE, 27, of Rome, and EDGAR BAUTISTA BECERRA, 27, of Cedartown. Anyone with information on the defendants is asked to call their local police.

At the news conference, United States Attorney David Nahmias said, "The truly violent character of this gang is demonstrated by the fact that the racketeering charges are based on violent crimes including five murders, attempted murder, arson, kidnaping, and, extortion, as well as drug trafficking and transporting and harboring illegal aliens. The indictment also charges five of the defendants with murder in aid of racketeering and discharging a firearm during and in relation to those murders, six defendants with attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and 11 defendants with other gun crimes. The 5 murders for which members of this gang are indicted, all of which occurred in 2003, represent fully half of all the murders occurring in Floyd and Polk Counties that year." Nahmias added, "The use of federal racketeering and drug statutes to attack the leadership of an organization is important, especially with an organization such as this that operates across local jurisdictional lines. It is particularly noteworthy that Operation Reclaim resulted from the coordinated efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies."

FBI Special Agent In Charge Greg Jones said of the case, "The impact of Operation Reclaim will surely be felt in this region which, unfortunately, has seen a substantial increase in methamphetamine trafficking and violent gang activities. The indictments of these individuals are the result of a long term, sophisticated investigation involving the many varied law enforcement agencies of the region and their efforts are to be commended. Violent criminal organizations such as this will continue to be a priority for law enforcement."

ICE Special Agent In Charge Kenneth Smith said, ""The cooperation within this multi-jurisdictional task force has been excellent, resulting in the dismantling of an organization that has used violence to intimidate it's competitors as well as its own members in order to carry out it's illegal enterprise."

GBI Director Vernon Keenan noted, "This area of the state was experiencing violence related to drug trafficking. Through a coordinated effort and aggressive drug enforcement, we were able to solve several violent crimes, including homicides, and were successful in identifying major players in an organized drug ring. I am optimistic that more arrests and seizures will be made as a result of this ongoing investigation."

The indictment also contains a forfeiture provision seeking to seize properties, automobiles, and weapons allegedly involved in the drug and RICO conspiracies, including the property at 2087 Potash Road, Cedartown, Georgia, two Chevrolet Corvettes, and numerous firearms.

Sales-tax funding a hard sell locally

2005-08-29T07:36:00.000-05:00

Area officials chime in on a proposal to switch school funding from property taxes to sales tax.

08/29/05
By Matt Tuck, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

State legislators once again are debating whether property taxes or sales tax should fund Georgia schools, amid concerns about how a switch in revenue source would affect local school systems.

State Rep. Paul Smith, D-Rome, said he will listen to debate on the issue before making up his mind, while state Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, D-Menlo, said she was not convinced the change in funding proposed by House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons Island, dubbed School Property Tax Cut of 2006, would ultimately be in the best interest of schools around the state.

Local educators said moving to an entirely sales tax-based funding system might slash property taxes — which Keen has said would eliminate more than half of all property taxes in Georgia — at the expense of schools, particularly during lean economic times.

“It would be a mistake to replace our current program,” said Rome City Schools Superintendent Gayland Cooper. “Sales taxes are too unpredictable.”

Cooper sees a problem basing a budget on sales taxes because tax collections rise or fall with the economy, noting schools would receive less funding in the current struggling economy.

“(It’s) not stable enough to provide consistent education programs,” Cooper said.

By changing the funding, schools would lose their ability to tax, which Floyd County Schools Superintendent Kelly Henson said could be catastrophic. “You have to let the local school boards continue to have taxing authority,” he said. “Without it, you completely remove the fiscal authority for school boards to make good decisions for their students and employees.”

In another recession, the schools might have to look at cutting music, physical education and after-school programs, Cooper said. “If you look at other states that have done this, you can see the differences in the opportunities for students and in their facilities.”

Currently, schools receive much of their funding from property taxes. Some property owners argue that using sales tax would push more non-property owners, such as renters, to contribute more to the school systems.

“There certainly are a heck of a lot of people tired of property taxes bearing most of the expenses for the schools,” said Smith.

“It will make for some interesting discussions.”

If Georgia adopts a sales tax-based school revenue system, Smith said, it should settle a number of lawsuits.

“We have a number of counties that have entered suit against the state because of what they say is unfair funding based on No Child Left Behind,” Smith said. “If the funding comes from sales tax, then funding should be equal statewide.”

Rep. Reece said two years ago she signed onto a bill supporting sales tax to help fund schools, but the bill didn’t make it out of committee.

When she heard of the current proposal, Reece kept her name away from it. She said the 2003 bill would have lowered property tax but not taken it out of school funding.

“Sales tax is very erratic,” she said. “What I would support is a combination of sales tax and property tax.

“Having strictly sales-tax funding would tie the hands of local schools. The state would give X amount of money, and when, say, gasoline prices go up again, the schools would not have a way to raise more money. ... You can’t take away the schools’ right to levy taxes. We need to work and see what we can come through with that would be advantageous for everybody.”

Henson said he would be open to a combination of funding sources. “Is there room for middle ground? Probably,” he said. “But having it solely on sales tax could potentially hurt all school systems in Georgia, some more than others.”

Facelift coming to East Rome

2005-08-25T07:38:00.000-05:00

Officials hope that Neighborhood Focus will help rejuvenate the area.

08/25/05
By Alan Riquelmy/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

It takes more than picking up litter to clean a city. That’s where Neighborhood Focus comes in.

Neighborhood Focus is the name of a five-day event tentatively scheduled for October that city officials hope will not only clean the Maple Street, Second Avenue and Walnut Avenue area, but also improve the overall appearance of the neighborhood.

“Each day will focus on an aspect of what it takes to make a neighborhood clean and beautiful,” said Mary Hardin Thornton, director of the Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful office, at Wednesday’s Community Development Committee meeting.

Though exact dates for the program haven’t yet been set, Thornton is planning for it to run from a Monday through Friday. Monday will kick off the clean up with building inspection day.

Tuesday is tree-planting day. City arborists will work with Rome’s Tree Commission to beautify the neighborhood by planting new trees and maintaining those that have overgrown.

Fire education day, street improvement day and garbage and curbside pickup day will follow throughout the week.

Close to 300 property owners will receive letters about the program before it begins.

The old Maple Street gym at East 10th Street and Maple Street will become the program’s command center for the week.

“If you have a question, someone will be there,” Thornton said.

In other matters, the committee discussed:

* The proposed pedestrian bridge slated to connect The Forum parking lot with West Third Street.

Originally scheduled for a bid opening today, the bids won’t be opened until Sept. 1.

The pedestrian bridge is included as a “must” in a draft memorandum of understanding between the West Third developers and the city.

* A boat ramp that will be built at Grizzard Park, the YMCA soccer complex on the East Rome bypass. According to Environmental Planner Eric Lindberg, the state’s Department of Natural Resources will construct the ramp at no cost to the city.

* The Kingfisher walking trail. Lindberg told the committee that the trail, more than 0.5 mile, will run along the Etowah River from the South Rome Bridge to Cantrell Street.

Lindberg said he’d like the bridge constructed by October.

Traffic cameras back soon

2005-08-25T07:36:00.000-05:00

New technology at the Turner McCall Boulevard/ Hicks Drive intersection should improve prosecution.

08/25/05
By Alan Riquelmy/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The city of Rome expects to resume catching red light runners come next week.

New technology expected to be installed in the cameras will make pictures taken at the Turner McCall Boulevard/ Hicks Drive intersection clearer and brighter, said Kirk Milam, Rome’s Public Works director.

“The police would be able to approve more images for prosecution than they could,” Milam said. “We believe some of our rejection rates will drop.”

The cameras, which snap pictures of red light runners, leading to $70 tickets, occasionally can’t capture a visible license plate in an image. The new technology could clean up pictures that currently can’t be used.

The cameras have been offline since July 19 due to resurfacing work on Turner McCall. They were scheduled to go online this week, though that was delayed to allow the contractor to connect detectors within the pavement to the cameras at the same time the new technology is installed.

The city averaged about $22,000 each month from the cameras since they went online July 12, 2004.

The work that made the cameras go dark is similar to that which has made the morning trip to Rome from Armuchee a nightmare the past couple of weeks.

Because of the resurfacing work at Veterans Memorial Highway and Martha Berry Boulevard, the traffic monitors placed in the pavement had to also had be removed, said Mohamed Arafa, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

Those monitors change the duration of the red and green lights based on the amount of traffic, Arafa said. Without the monitors, the timing of the lights never changes or has to be changed manually, he added.

That means heavy southbound traffic in the morning doesn’t get more time to roll through the intersection.

Arafa said the problem should be fixed by next Wednesday.

In another problem spot, the light at John Davenport Drive and Lavender Drive has been blinking intermittently because of an electrical problem.

Milam said the wiring at the intersection has been replaced.

“We’re going to continue to monitor how it operates,” Milam said. “It has been causing us some problems for the past few nights.”

Base closure panel votes to shutter Fort McPherson

2005-08-24T07:50:00.000-05:00

08/24/05
Associated Press

Base closure panel votes to shutter Fort McPherson WASHINGTON (AP) — An independent commission voted Wednesday to support the Pentagon's recommended closure of Fort McPherson, a move that means Atlanta's seventh-largest employer almost certainly will be shuttered.

Votes on whether to close a McPherson satellite, Fort Gillem, Naval Air Station-Atlanta in Marietta and a Navy supply school in Athens were expected later Wednesdsay. Analysts expected all four recommendations to be approved, but as past base closure rounds have proved, surprises are possible.

Alcohol could be OK’d in Heritage

2005-08-24T07:39:00.000-05:00

The city has been asked to change the park rules for a social club gathering.

08/24/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

A portion of Heritage Park could become Rome’s newest spot to have a glass of wine during special events.

The city’s General Administration Committee unanimously recommended approval Tuesday for a change in the ordinance that prohibits alcohol consumption in publicly-owned places within city limits.

Dr. Ray Jarvis made the request for a gathering he is planning for the Nine O’clock Cotillion Club, a Rome social club, asking that part of Heritage Park be added to the ordinance’s list of public places where drinking is allowed during special events.

“It’s just a beautiful little spot down there,” Jarvis said. “It’s really pretty.”

Alcohol is currently prohibited at the park near the Robert C. Redden Footbridge. A Sept. 19 vote of the City Commission could change the ordinance and allow alcohol in the area around the gazebo.

Jarvis said his event would occur sometime next spring.

“I would not want to allow alcohol unless it was for a special event,” said City Manager John Bennett. “We do not want to have people sitting around drinking.”

Alcohol consumption is currently allowed in several public spots, including the Rome Civic Center on Jackson Hill, a portion of Ridge Ferry Park and at Bridgepoint Plaza, to name a few. The special-event criteria for drinking is only required at Ridge Ferry Park, though other restrictions apply at the various approved sites.

“There’s a fairly large list of exemptions,” said City Clerk Joe Smith.

The city would establish boundaries for where alcohol is permitted in Heritage Park and draw a map before the Sept. 19 vote.

Consumption of alcohol on government-owned property inside the city limits is prohibited, except at the following:

-Rome Civic Center on Jackson Hill

-City tour boats

-Stonebridge Golf Club

-The Forum

-Rome Senior Citizens Center on Riverside Parkway

-State Mutual Stadium

-Carnegie Building, gardens

-Bridgepoint Plaza

* Portions of Ridge Ferry Park, if a special permit is gained

Rome library goes wireless

2005-08-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

Also, the city is currently seeking grant money for its own Wi-Fi network downtown.

08/23/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Imagine sitting in the garden outside the Rome-Floyd County Library with your laptop while connected to the Internet.

Imagine no longer.

A wireless Internet network, or Wi-Fi, is up and running at the library, said Lee Dollar, the facility’s infrastructure coordinator. Anyone with a laptop and wireless capability is free to take advantage of the new technology.

“What we wanted to do was provide wireless Internet access for anyone who wanted it,” Dollar said. “It does run through our filtering system. Anything they could access on a regular computer here, they could access through the wireless.”

The filter is designed to stop computers from visiting Web sites showing nudity.

Susan Cooley, the library’s director, said many out-of-towers often visit her facility with laptops. “They can use it out in the garden or the perimeter of the library, but not the parking lot,” she said.

Four receivers create the wireless network that covers 75,000 square feet. The library has been testing the network for the past three weeks, though a few regular library patrons have helped.

This public announcement lets people know the network is ready for business.

“Once we announced it, we didn’t want any issues,” Dollar said. “It’s ready to go. I think we could handle any amount of users that want to come in.”

Each receiver cost around $300 and the method to power it another $300. Dollar said maintenance would be completed in-house, negating any further expenses on the network.

Meanwhile, the city of Rome continues work on its own downtown Wi-Fi network. Jason Lovett, Rome’s information technology director, is currently in the process of answering questions from the Appalachian Regional Commission — the agency Rome is trying to get a $22,500 grant from for the network.

Some questions Lovett has to answer include the availability of broadband service in the city and if Rome would partner with existing high-speed Internet providers.

“I’m working on them,” Lovett said. “There may be more back and forth.”

The city’s Wi-Fi network is expected to cover East First Avenue to Riverside Parkway along Broad Street and also include East First Street and Tribune Street.

Lovett said he remained optimistic, adding that if the grant were given, the network could be operational by year’s end.

Romans sentenced in federal sex case

2005-08-23T07:33:00.000-05:00

The two men were charged with bringing two Texas teens to Rome for sex.

08/23/05
From staff reports

Two Rome men were sentenced Monday on federal child exploitation charges in which they were accused of bringing two teenage girls to Rome from Texas for sex last year.

Brandon Keith Self, 26, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, and Richard Wallace “Wally” Mason, 23, was sentenced to a year and a half by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cone, according to reports from Beaumont, Texas, television station KBTV4.

The federal judge’s office is located in Beaumont, which is in Southeast Texas.

Last September, Mason and Self, both of 105 Rogers Drive, had contacted the two girls, who were both 15 years old at the time, and arranged to drive to Liberty County, Texas, to bring the girls to Rome, police and federal authorities said earlier.

While in Rome, both men reportedly had sex with at least one of the girls, who the men reportedly met via the Internet, police said.

Meanwhile, an Amber Alert was issued for the girls a day after they were reported
Richard Wallace Mason was sentenced to a year and a half in prison.
missing.

Police arrested the two on Sept. 9, charging them with two counts of interference with child custody, two counts of child molestation, two counts of statutory rape, two counts of enticing a child for indecent purposes and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Now that the two have been sentenced on the federal charges, Floyd County District Attorney Leigh Patterson said, her office will be discussing whether to pursue Georgia charges against Self and Mason.

“There is concurrent jurisdiction on their cases — there’s the federal case, a case here, plus a case in Liberty County, Texas,” she said. “We’ll take a look at our case and decide if we want to go forward or let the federal case end the inquiry.”

If Patterson’s office pursues the Georgia charges, she said, a trial would have to wait until after the men finish serving their time in federal prison.

Police open drowning probe

2005-08-23T07:30:00.000-05:00

The Rome department is reviewing what happened when a man drowned after reportedly fleeing police.

08/23/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Juan Vicente, 21, drowned early Friday in the river near Bridgepoint Plaza.
The Rome Police Department is conducting an internal investigation into the Friday death of a man near the confluence of the rivers downtown.

“We’re actively pursuing it right now,” said Deputy Police Chief Lonzo Roberson. “There’s no accusations of any impropriety on any officer’s part. There is no officer being put on leave because of the investigation.”

Preliminary reports indicate Juan Vicente, 21, of 28 Old Airport Road, drowned early Friday after reportedly fleeing from and then struggling with police. Coroner Barry Henderson identified the body Monday.

A final determination of the cause of death is expected to take at least three months. Roberson estimated the internal investigation could take 10 days.

Chief Hubert Smith wants the investigation to ensure police know exactly what happened from start to finish, Roberson said.

According to Julio Bal, a family friend, native Guatemalan Vicente had lived in Rome for five years. He loved to play soccer in East Rome with family and friends.

“We used to go swimming in Shannon and to Cave Spring,” said cousin Arturo Vicente through a translator. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s so sudden, and I’m the only family he has here in Rome.”

According to a police report, officer Heather Murray was called to Juan Vicente’s home around 10 p.m. Thursday because of a domestic dispute.

By the time the officer heard allegations against Vicente, he had already left.

Rome officer Kerry Wagner stopped Vicente on Shorter Avenue near the Kangaroo Station shortly afterward.

While Wagner was getting his alcohol-sensor equipment from his patrol vehicle, Vicente allegedly fled the scene.

Wagner detected an odor of alcohol on Vicente, the report stated.

Early Friday morning officer Shaun Davis spotted Vicente on the Robert Redden Footbridge linking Heritage Park and Bridgepoint Plaza.

Davis and Vicente struggled, and the officer sprayed him with pepper spray, Davis said in a written police report.

The officer then tried to get his handcuffs out, but Vicente ran away and then tripped and fell into the river, the report stated.

Vicente went under the water several times before disappearing from sight, reports state.

“Where those two rivers meet, the current is very strong,” Roberson responded when asked why no police officers tried to swim out to help Vicente. “Our officers aren’t trained for that.”

Those wishing to help Arturo Vicente with the costs for returning his cousin to Guatemala can send donations to Arturo Vicente, 28 Old Airport Road, Rome, GA 30165.

Husband of woman killed in Olympic bombing tells Rudolph, `justice finally being served'

2005-08-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

08/22/05
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — The widower of the woman killed by the blast at the 1996 Olympics confronted bomber Eric Rudolph on Monday, saying that his wife can finally rest knowing that ``justice is finally being served.''

Rudolph's sentencing landed the day that John and Alice Hawthorne would have celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary.

``Every anniversary has been filled with anger, weeping and sorrow, but this anniversary brings to an end a very painful and emotional chapter in this family,'' Hawthorne told Rudolph and a packed courtroom. ``This is the day Alice can rest, for justice is finally being served.''

Alice Hawthorne's 22-year-old daughter, Fallon Stubbs, who was seriously wounded by the Olympic bomb, offered forgiveness to Rudolph.

``In all honesty, Mr. Rudolph, I would not be who I am today without you,'' said Stubbs, who was 14 at the time of the bombing. ``I have learned to be a tolerant person because of you, to accept people who are different than I am, and embrace their differences.''

Rudolph, who was wearing a business suit, stared directly at both Hawthorne and Stubbs during their statements. However, he did look away once when Hawthorne became emotional.

Rudolph, 38, admitted earlier this year to carrying out the Olympics blast, which killed one and injured 111, and detonating bombs at an abortion clinic and a gay nightclub in Atlanta that injured 11 in 1997.

More than a dozen of the victims were expected to speak before a federal judge was set to sentence Rudolph to three more life sentences in prison.

He also received life without parole last month for the 1998 bombing of a women's clinic in Birmingham, Ala., that killed a police officer and maimed a nurse.

Many of those injured at Olympic Park had said they did not plan to attend the sentencing, partly because Rudolph turned the sentencing in Alabama into a forum for his anti-abortion, anti-gay views, and partly because they believe it's time to move on.

``I don't need to be there. I can hear about it,'' said Calvin Thorbourne of Austell, whose legs were hit by shrapnel. ``It's always going to be part of my life, but I've always felt justice would be served.''

At the Alabama sentencing, Rudolph portrayed himself as a devout Christian motivated by his hatred of abortion and a federal government that lets it continue.

Rudolph was identified after the Birmingham blast and spent the next five years hiding out in the mountains of western North Carolina. He was captured in 2003 while scavenging for food behind a grocery store in Murphy, N.C.

Prosecutors and the former soldier struck a deal: They wouldn't seek the death penalty and he would tell them where to find more than 250 pounds of stolen dynamite he had buried in the North Carolina woods.

Some wanted to be at the hearing if for no other reason than to ask Rudolph why.

Tiffani Kelley of Atlanta was a teenager when shrapnel tore through her left leg as she was leaving Centennial Olympic Park.

``I think about it every day,'' she said. ``I'm constantly reminded of it because I have a permanent scar on my leg.''

While Thorbourne didn't plan to attend, he said there was something he'd say to Rudolph if he ever got the chance.

``I would say, 'God be with you.' God is in control,'' Thorbourne said. ``It's not for me to determine the proper sentence. He obviously has some issues, to say the least.''

Supreme Court won't reconsider property case

2005-08-22T11:14:00.000-05:00

August 22, 2005
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court, given a chance to revisit a heavily criticized ruling, refused Monday to reconsider its decision giving local governments more power to seize people's homes for economic development.

So contentious was the court's narrow 5-4 ruling in the so-called eminent domain case earlier this year that some critics launched a campaign to seize Justice David Souter's farmhouse in New Hampshire to build a luxury hotel. Others singled out Justice Stephen Breyer's vacation home in the same state for use as a park.

Both Souter and Breyer voted on the prevailing side. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who did not, sharply criticized her colleagues at the time. She said in a minority opinion that the ruling favored the well-heeled over the less fortunate.

In addition, legislators in some 25 states are considering changing their eminent domain laws to soften the impact.

Justices did not comment Monday in refusing to reconsider the case, which had been expected because requests for a reconsideration of rulings are rarely granted.

O'Connor, whose decision to retire created the opening that Washington lawyer John Roberts now seeks to fill, wrote in her angry dissent of June that ``the specter of condemnation hangs over all property.''

Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the majority opinion and defended it last week in a speech in Las Vegas. The ruling was legally correct, he said, because the high court has ``always allowed local policy-makers wide latitude in determining how best to achieve legitimate public goals.''

But Stevens said he had concerns about the results.

``My own view is that the allocation of economic resources that result from the free play of market forces is more likely to produce acceptable results in the long run than the best-intentioned plans of public officials,'' Stevens told the Clark County Bar Association.

Legal experts had said they did not expect the court's ruling, involving an economic development project in New London, Conn., to prompt a rush to claim homes.

Stevens said that ``the public outcry that greeted (the ruling) is some evidence that the political process is up to the task of addressing such policy concerns.''

The case is Kelo v. City of New London, 04-108.

New food contract for jail could save $100,000

2005-08-22T09:04:00.000-05:00

08/22/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The Floyd County Jail’s annual food service bill could drop by nearly $100,000 under a new contract recommended by Sheriff Tim Burkhalter, who took over the office in January.

County Manager Kevin Poe said the proposal from Tampa, Fla.-based Trinity Services Group promises meals at 79.4 cents each compared with 92.4 cents each under the existing contract. The savings from Burkhalter’s decision to call for new bids adds up to an estimated $99,645 a year, Poe said, and the company has satisfactory reports from jails in nearby counties.

“You wonder what we could have saved over the years,” he said.

The Floyd County Commission is expected to award the contract at its Tuesday meeting. The caucus starts at 4 p.m. in the historic Floyd County courthouse, with the regular session following at 6 p.m.

Commissioners also will discuss a pending proposal from General Electric Co. to cap a contaminated landfill at the defunct Rome plant on Redmond Circle.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division is accepting comments on the plan through Friday, and Commissioner Garry Fricks is urging the board to seek removal of the debris instead.

“It’s ridiculous to call this a remedy when it’s nothing but a patch,” Fricks said.

Commission Chairman Chuck Hufstetler has said he will ask a local geology professor to review data that GE collects from monitoring wells on the site and assist with the technical aspects of the argument.

Other items on the agenda include:

* Consideration of an estimated $15,000 contract with Madison, Ala.-based Graves Service Co. to install a 6-inch casing at the county’s Fulton Road well site. Poe said the pump has not been used for several years because of the water’s turbidity, but consultants believe putting a new casing inside the old 8-inch pipe could eliminate the infiltration.

“There’s no guarantee this will work, but we’re spending a lot more than this drilling for new wells,” he said.

* Public hearings on four rezoning applications, including a proposal for office and warehouse storage on a residential tract at 1158 Chulio Road that garnered a split vote from the Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission.

The planning commission unanimously recommended approval of the other requests: A change to residential use for property zoned for office development at 1160 Morrison Campground Road; a plan to put duplexes at 313 and 315 Old Summerville Road; and commercial zoning for a residential tract at the corner of Martha Berry Highway and Russell Field Road in Armuchee.

Shorter, Berry on national best list

2005-08-19T07:19:00.000-05:00

08/19/05
By Marc Dadigan, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

In what has become an annual tradition, both Shorter College and Berry College are highly ranked in “U.S. News & World Report’s” prestigious listing of America’s best college.

“It’s a tribute to the Shorter faculty and students that the rankings continue to recognize the quality on the Hill,” said Shorter President Harold Newman.

Among Southern comprehensive colleges, Berry was ranked No. 2 and Shorter was ranked No. 14 on the list. It was the 19th time Berry made the list compiled by the national magazine. It was the fifth consecutive year Shorter has made the list.

“I think these rankings, along with everything else, present a picture of Berry to potential students,” Berry President Scott Colley said. “The ranking, plus our academic strength plus the beautiful campus, are all factors that draw students.”

Berry, also placed on the magazines “great schools, great prices” list and fifth in the highest graduation rate category. Colley said the college graduates about 62 percent of its students within six years of their enrollment.

The magazine’s rankings were first published in 1985 and have been done annually since 1987. They are based on the results of surveys of four-year colleges and universities across the nation. Rankings of quality are based on academic reputation, student retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni giving rate.

Polk teacher files federal lawsuit against school system

2005-08-19T07:16:00.000-05:00

The educator was put on administrative leave after allegations about the cheerleading squad.

08/19/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

A Polk County teacher filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Polk County Schools Superintendent Darrell Sorrells and members of the county school board after she was placed on administrative leave with pay.

Rhonda Lindsey, an eight-year teacher with the school system and a cheerleading coach, was put on administrative leave with pay Aug. 12 after Sorrells questioned her about allegations that nude pictures of members of the Cedartown High School cheerleading squad had been taken, the lawsuit states.

Sorrells declined to comment about the lawsuit, saying he had not yet received a copy Thursday night.

Neither Sorrells nor any school board member listed in the lawsuit has any evidence that nude photographs exist, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Rome. Another teacher/coach has also been placed on administrative leave with pay, Sorrells said Wednesday. He declined to release her name.

Lindsey is seeking to clear her name and return to work. She also is seeking attorney fees and punitive damages for actions that she says stigmatized, slandered and damaged her reputation.

In addition to having what is termed “false” information made public, the lawsuit states Lindsey’s right to due process was denied by the method she was placed on administrative leave and that the state’s Open Records Act was violated.

Harold Wingfield, chairman of the Polk County School Board, could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

Lindsey is being represented by Rome law firm Brinson, Askew, Berry, Seigler, Richardson & Davis.

GE: Landfill cap is best option

2005-08-17T07:20:00.000-05:00

Officials want to know more; state EPD is asking for public opinions

08/17/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The cap that General Electric plans to install on a landfill at its contaminated Redmond Circle plant will protect the contents for 200 years, plant manager Richard Lester said.

Groundwater monitoring wells surrounding the area and a stormwater-capturing system will help ensure no pollutants leak off-site, Lester said at a Tuesday public hearing. But, despite assurances that it is unlikely Landfill C holds hazardous waste, some Floyd County officials are looking for more information.

“If it’s not that bad, why not just dig it up and move it to a (permitted) landfill instead of monitoring it forever?” County Commissioner Garry Fricks asked.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division is taking comments through Aug. 26 on the plan, which calls for adding several impermeable fabric liners and layers of topsoil to the clay cap installed in 1978. Fricks said he planned to make a report at the commission meeting Tuesday and suggest a resolution calling for a better remedy.

“Why not address it at this point and make the land usable again?” he said. “I don’t want to pass the problem to the future.”

The plan meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards as a “presumptive remedy” to keep stormwater from washing into the groundwater. That makes it an acceptable proposal, said Jim Ussery, EPD assistant director.

“Certainly there are differences in opinion regarding whether this is the best remedy,” Ussery said. “But this is the proposal the company has made to us, and we are required to accept any acceptable proposal.”

Lester said the company felt digging up the waste would be disruptive to the community and opted to follow the EPA presumptive remedy guidelines.

“This technology will provide a safe environment and protect public health,” he said.

The EPD asked the company to address Landfill C in January after nearby monitors picked up traces of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Organic chemicals, widely used in paints, fuels and cleaning agents, can cause damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system.

The PCBs the company used in the transformers it manufactured between 1953 and 1977 are classified by the EPA as probable cancer-causing agents.

Both Lester and EPD officials said the levels at Landfill C are much lower than those detected at Landfill A — the oldest and most contaminated of the three landfills on the 236-acre site. But it is unclear exactly what might be in the landfill, which was used mainly for wood, paper, plastics and construction debris before it was closed in 1975.

David Yardumian of the EPD said there is “no evidence any hazardous waste has been deposited” but admitted the landfill has not been tested. Lester said the company does not want to disturb the protective clay cap by drilling for samples.

TO COMMENT:

Written comments are being accepted through Aug. 26 on General Electric Co.’s plans to cap Landfill C at its defunct Redmond Circle plant to ensure chemicals do not leach into the groundwater and migrate off-site.

Comments can be mailed to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, East Floyd Towers, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30334.

City united against merger law

2005-08-16T08:01:00.000-05:00

Rome’s commission and education board oppose a law that would keep schools separate in consolidation

08/16/05
By Marc Dadigan, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

More than two years into the consolidation process, Rome government and school officials had, until Monday, never met to share their views.

It turned out both sides hold similar opinions.

The Rome City Commission and Board of Education voted unanimously in a straw poll to oppose legislation allowing the city and county governments to merge without consolidating the schools, a move they believe would endanger the future of the city school system.

“It bothers me to support legislation that would basically lead to the eventual bankruptcy of the school system,” said Commissioner Buzz Wachsteter.

The Floyd County Commission has been seeking an amendment to the state constitution that would supersede a current law that apparently bars a city-county merger without combining the school system.

The County Commission has made plans to ask legislators to explore the option during the 2006 Georgia General Assembly and to draft a resolution to support a future consolidation referendum.

During a meeting Monday with the Rome Board of Education, city commissioners, however, agreed that the law change, which would establish the Rome City Schools as an independent system with the ability to levy taxes, could financially cripple their schools.

Under the current arrangement, the school system requests funds from the City Commission, which then sets a school millage rate to raise the necessary money. If the school system became independent, it would collect its own taxes but likely wouldn’t have the power of annexation.

“I’m concerned that we would be locked into our current borders,” board member Cheryl Huffman said. “We couldn’t expand our tax base; it might become less industrial or more industrial. We just don’t know how it would affect our funding.”

“You would have the city taxing, the county taxing and the independent school taxing,” added board member Gene Clark. “It would get pretty confusing.”

There also were concerns about transporting students after a government merger. Rome City students currently are bused to school by the Rome Transit Department, which might not exist after the merger.

Racial issues also boiled to the surface as Commissioner Bill Collins said he’s started to believe consolidation has become an subtle effort to reduce taxpayer support for the Rome schools, many of which have predominantly black student populations.

“You all have a problem, and it’s a racial problem,” he said. “They say that the goal is to save money, but it’s about the fact they’re trying to tell the blacks you need to tote your own load and pay for your schools.”

According to a study by a University of Georgia professor, the monetary effect of a school merger would be basically neutral even though the systems’ financial books are pretty similar.

Also because of the demographic difference between the two school districts, it might prove difficult to get approval of the new state law from the U.S. Department of Justice, City Attorney Bob Brinson said.

Because of desegregation laws, the DOJ would have to sign off on a proposed government merger, he said, and even if it did, other lawsuits could follow.

“I believe it would be unsuccessful and incapable of implementation without several years of litigation,” he said.

Traffic on Martha Berry Highway

2005-08-15T10:38:00.000-05:00

There is a traffic jam affecting south-bound lanes between the Ga 1 Loop and Mount Berry Mall due to ongoing resurfacing by DOT officials. The north-bound lanes are unaffected. Please seek an alternate route for the remainder of the day.

Defiant Jewish settlers form human chains to block soldiers with eviction notices

2005-08-15T08:29:00.000-05:00

08/15/05
Associated Press

NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza Strip (AP) — Defiant and tearful Jewish settlers locked their communities' gates and formed human chains to block troops from delivering eviction notices Monday, as Israel began its historic pullout from the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation.

Police and soldiers waited patiently in the sweltering sun and avoided confrontation at the behest of their commanders. One sobbing settler pleaded with a brigadier general not to evict him before the two men embraced.

``It's a painful and difficult day, but it's a historic day,'' said Israel's defense minister, Shaul Mofaz.

Over the next three weeks, Israel plans to remove all 21 Jewish settlements from Gaza and four from the West Bank. The withdrawal marks the first time Israel will dismantle settlements in areas captured in the 1967 Mideast War and claimed by the Palestinians for their future state.

While Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says the pullout will improve Israel's security, Jewish settlers fiercely oppose the plan and have promised stiff — but nonviolent — resistance.

Israeli troops fired in the air Monday to keep back hundreds of Palestinians, including a few dozen masked gunmen, who were marching toward southern Gaza's Gush Katif bloc of settlements in celebration of the impending withdrawal. The crowd burned a cardboard model of an Israeli settlement, complete with an army watchtower.

In Gaza City, the Islamic militant group Hamas hung banners proclaiming the pullout is a result of attacks by militants on Israelis. ``The blood of martyrs has led to liberation,'' one banner said.

Thousands of Israeli troops marched into Gaza's settlements, delivering eviction notices in some communities, but encountering protests in others. The notices gave settlers until midnight Tuesday to leave. If they ignore the deadline, they will be removed by force and could lose up to a third of their government compensation for the move.

Resistance was stiff in Gush Katif. Hundreds of settlers blocked the gates of Neve Dekalim, Gaza's largest settlement, preventing the forces from entering.

Dozens of observant Jewish men, wearing white prayer shawls, held morning prayers at the gate, appealing for divine intervention to block the withdrawal. Dozens of youths wearing orange, the color of defiance, sat on the streets. ``Who dares to do battle with God,'' read one protester's T-shirt.

Troops moved into the community through a second entrance, only to be blocked by large crowds of settlers who burned tires and formed human chains. Protesters formed a ring around the troops, briefly scuffling with one commander who attempted to break through before giving up. The army did not try to force its way in.

Military commanders listened quietly to the settlers' appeals, but said they would not be deterred.

``We will reach every settler, just as we have planned,'' said Maj. Gen. Dan Harel, Israel's commander over the Gaza region.

Harel told Army Radio that the operation was going as anticipated. ``Our estimation is that by tomorrow night most of the residents will agree to leave,'' he said.

Many of Gaza's 8,500 residents have already left, and Mofaz told the Israeli Cabinet that he expected an additional 300 families to leave on Monday. But the army estimates that thousands remain, including some 5,000 hard-liners who have infiltrated Gaza to resist the pullout. Authorities fear some of the extremists could turn violent.

At the isolated Morag settlement, hundreds of people blocked troops at the gate. One man, identified by Israeli media as Liron Zeidan, burst into tears as he pleaded with officers not to remove him from his home.

``I am not your enemy. I served as an officer under you,'' the man told Brig. Gen. Erez Zuckerman, the commander of the army unit waiting at the gate.

Zuckerman listened and wiped sweat off his brow, then hugged the young man. ``We love you, you are part of us,'' he told the assembled settlers.

In Gan Or, the army reached a deal with residents to send only a small group of senior officers to give the notices to community leaders in an effort to avoid friction.

The operation went more smoothly in the settlements of Nissanit and Elei Sinai, secular communities in northern Gaza that have virtually emptied out.

In Nissanit, four soldiers came to the home of Yitzhak and Avigail Dadon, a couple in their 70s who said they would leave before the forcible removal begins. Yitzhak Dadon said that earlier in the morning, he lowered an Israeli flag that had been fluttering from his roof. Avigail Dadon cried, and a female soldier stood up to hug her.

Two residents entered an abandoned home, took out a hammer and smashed the remaining mirrors, doors and windows. Some homes were covered in graffiti, including one that read ``Sharon is a Nazi.''

Soldiers also helped settlers pack. In one Nissanit home, troops removed a large sundeck next to a backyard swimming pool, pulling out planks and stacking them up in a pile.

In the Elei Sinai settlement, resident Esti Yamin clutched her eviction notice and cried. When the four-member army team left her home, she said: ``They were very kind and I think they are doing all they can do.''

However, one of her neighbors put lawn chairs and a TV set on the roof, where he said he would remain with his young daughter until he is removed by force. ``Elei Sinai won't fall,'' read a large sign outside his home.

Soldiers were also giving eviction notices in four West Bank settlements slated for evacuation. They chose not to enter two of the communities, Sanur and Homesh, where hard-line extremists have holed up. The army instead planned to hand the orders to community leaders.

Israel's Cabinet met Monday and gave final approval for the removal of additional Gaza settlements in what was seen as a formality. The plan was already approved by the government and parliament during a bruising yearlong political battle.

With some 50,000 security forces involved, the ``disengagement'' from Gaza is the nation's largest-ever noncombat operation.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said the Gaza pullout is a ``historical moment,'' but that Israel must also hand over the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the future.

``If they want peace, they must allow Palestinians to achieve their rights,'' Abbas told the British Broadcasting Corp.

The Palestinians hope the pullout from Gaza will lead to the resumption of peace talks and ultimately full independence in areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.

But they fear the withdrawal is a ploy by Sharon to get rid of areas he doesn't consider crucial to Israel while consolidating control of parts of the West Bank, where the vast majority of the 240,000 Jewish settlers live.

Smaller housing lots on agenda

2005-08-15T08:22:00.000-05:00

The City Commission will review a proposed rule change to allow "cluster subdivisions."

08/15/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The possibility of cluster subdivisions is expected to briefly appear before the Rome City Commission at its meeting tonight.

The commission will examine the issue on first reading, which will set it for a vote at the board’s Sept. 6 meeting.

The commission meets at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

A cluster subdivision — a type of development that puts houses on smaller lots while protecting green spaces — is an impossibility under the current Unified Land Development Code.

“It could be a great tool for developers,” said Assistant City Attorney David Smith, “if they’re willing to provide it. If nothing else, it allows the preservation of green spaces.”

The Floyd County Commission adopted the change Tuesday. A similar move by the city Sept. 6 would make cluster subdivisions acceptable countywide.

The city currently has minimum lot sizes, which would prohibit something like a cluster subdivision. Under new rules, developers would be restricted only by setback requirements in a cluster subdivision.

Those rules would let them put a lot more houses in a subdivision as long as they reserved at least 40 percent of the area for green spaces.

“It’s a detailed process,” Smith said of the procedure to get a cluster subdivision approved. “You’ve got to work with the city each step of the way.”

One detail developers would have to discuss with Rome is the maintenance of the green spaces. Whether it’s done by the developers, a homeowners association or someone else, Smith said, the city will want to ensure the area’s maintenance is ongoing.

The city doesn’t have any votes scheduled for today, though it will discuss the agenda for its Friday and Saturday planning session at the Carnegie building.

One likely topic of discussion will be the West Third Street development. The commission originally was scheduled to vote on a memorandum of understanding — an agreement between itself and the developers — though that vote has since been pushed back. City Manager John Bennett has said the vote won’t occur until after a public meeting on the issue, which could happen next week.

Oil jumps to $66 a barrel, record high

2005-08-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

Crude-oil prices soared to new highs past $66 a barrel Friday as reports of U.S. refinery outages spark fears that gasoline supplies in the world's biggest consuming nation would struggle to meet rising demand.

The threat of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and concerns over Iran's decision to resume uranium conversion activities also weighed on markets, pushing prices upward, analysts said.

Tropical Storm Irene was expected to intensify Friday and possibly reach hurricane strength as it approached the U.S. East Coast, forecasters said.

Irene's potential threat to land was still uncertain, as its path had shifted east, according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters said the storm could strike the coast anywhere from South Carolina to New Jersey.

With bullish sentiment unabated and crude prices hitting consecutive highs this week, analysts expect front-month crude contracts to test the $70 a barrel threshold.

Light sweet crude for September delivery gained 60 cents to $66.40 in morning trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Thursday, oil prices settled at $65.80 a barrel, the highest close since Nymex trading began in 1983.

Gasoline futures climbed 4.42 cents to $1.994 a gallon while heating oil futures rose 1.65 cent to $1.915 a gallon.

In London, Brent crude for September delivery was trading at $65.94 a barrel, up 56 cents.

Analysts said gasoline demand, currently at its peak in the U.S. summer driving season, was pushing crude's gains. Last week, U.S. gasoline demand picked up by 1.4 percent from a year ago, according to government data.

Coupled with new reports of refinery outages this week, traders fear U.S. refiners, already running at 95 percent of capacity, are straining to satisfy the rising demand.

``People fear there won't be enough gasoline at a time when it's so greatly demanded, so they're just buying, buying and buying,'' said Tetsu Emori, chief commodities strategist at Mitsui Bussan Futures in Tokyo.

Oil prices are 46 percent higher than a year ago, but they would need to surpass $90 a barrel to exceed the inflation-adjusted peak set in 1980.

The U.S. Energy Department said Wednesday that gasoline inventories fell 2.1 million barrels to 203.1 million barrels last week.

``The refinery breakdowns are a big issue, they're happening at a time when gasoline supplies are already very tight,'' Emori said.

Among the latest refinery outages: several units at ConocoPhillips' 306,000 barrel-a-day Wood River, Ill., refinery were shut after a thunderstorm caused a power failure at the plant.

Also, BP PLC shut down a hydrogen recovery unit Aug. 10 at its massive 470,000 barrel-a-day Texas City refinery, following a decision by the company to keep high-pressure units off line until they can be proven safe, BP spokesman Scott Dean said Thursday.

The three other high-pressure units at the refinery were already off line Wednesday and will be kept down pending investigations, Dean said.

The incidents are the latest in a string of outages to hit about a dozen U.S. refineries that together can process 2.7 million barrels a day of crude oil, some 16 percent of total U.S. refining capacity.

Video game grant issued

2005-08-11T08:20:00.000-05:00

PlayStation 2 whizzes could become reading whizzes at Garden Lakes school.

08/11/05
By Marc Dadigan/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Since the early days of Atari, parents have warned their joystick-toting kids that video games will rot their brains in the same way sweets will rot their teeth.

Garden Lakes Elementary Principal Donna Brombacher has taken a different approach with her students.

Her school recently earned a $450,000, three-year grant to purchase more than 150 PlayStation 2 video game machines on which students can play educational games that improve their reading and language skills.

“Research has shown that children are working more with technology than we ever dreamed,” Brombacher said. “With kids spending so much time in front of computers, handheld games and TVs, we’re trying to tap into that.”

This year each third-grader will receive a PlayStation 2 with a built-in monitor along with the educational software called Plato Achieve Now. In the following two years of the grant, second- and first-graders will also get the game systems.

Third-grade teacher Susan Moss said the students will be able to take the PlayStations home, and she expects the machines will also lure other family members to get more involved in the lessons.

“It’s something that will make a connection with the family. Hopefully, the siblings and even the parents will pick up some English,” she said.

Students who already own PlayStations will only be given copies of the software, Brombacher said.

The PlayStations will also be used in the classroom as the grant will pay for five sets of 12 PlayStation machines for teachers who will also receive training to use the game systems, Brombacher said.

“It’s very individualized, so some of the kids in the class could be doing group work and others could be working on the machines,” she said.

“It allows some flexibility.”

While the program is primarily targeting English language learners, who are expected to account for 20 percent of the student body, Moss said the software is designed to engage students of all levels.

“It doesn’t just target student weaknesses and needs,” she said. “It will challenge students already strong in English and language arts.”

The third-graders will be the first to get the machines because they must pass the statewide reading test, the CRCT, to be promoted to the fourth grade.

Brombacher must attend a meeting later this month in Atlanta at the state Department of Education after which the machines will soon be delivered, hopefully by Labor Day, she said.

“We’ve put a lot of research into this, and we think this will be a good way to add some technology-based lessons for our students,” she said.

Merger group back in town

2005-08-11T08:18:00.000-05:00

School consolidation consultants to continue feasibility examination

08/11/05
By Marc Dadigan/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

After being delayed for a month and a half, the school merger consultants are returning to Rome on Monday to interview education and county officials as they prepare to continue the $168,200 consolidation feasibility study.

Representatives from S. John Davis & Associates will breakfast at IHOP with city school superintendent Gayland Cooper and county school superintendent Kelly Henson and will then meet later with County Manager Kevin Poe and Commission Chairman Chuck Hufstetler.

Following a month of deliberation, the commission voted to continue the feasibility study, and Henson said he’ll cooperate with the consultants in any way possible.

“I’m guessing they’ll be letting us know what kind of data they want for the study — enrollment figures, salary schedules and so on,” he said. “(Consolidation) is not our political issue per se, but we’ll be happy to produce what they need.”

Hufstetler said he and Poe will work with the consultants on the timetable for completion of the study. It was delayed after the release of the study’s first phase, which found little political support for consolidation and caused commissioners to question the value of the study.

The study will proceed as planned, Hufstetler said, but the consultants have also been asked to collect data on sites around the country where schools are run independently of governments.

The commission’s interest in school consolidation has been driven by a Georgia law that seems to require school mergers to accompany government mergers. However, there are questions about that interpretation of the law.

The Rome City Commission and the Rome Board of Education will also meet Monday to discuss that legislative issue as well as consolidation in general.

“It’s a chance for us to openly discuss it and see what other people think,” said board member Jim Greer. “We’ve never discussed it as a board, so there’s nothing predetermined.”

The meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Sam King Room of City Hall.

NCAA sees mascots as abusive

2005-08-09T09:32:00.000-05:00

This undated photo shows Florida State mascot Chief Osceola at a basketball game in Tallahassee, Fla. The NCAA banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments, but will not prohibit them otherwise. At least 18 schools have mascots the NCAA deem ``hostile or abusive,'' including Florida State's Seminole and Illinois' Illini. Florida State President T.K. Wetherell threatened to take legal action after the ruling. (AP Photo/Tallahassee Democrat, Phil Sears)

How do you feel about this?

Sparse crowd shows up to voice opinions on police

2005-08-09T07:49:00.000-05:00

The public hearing was part of the city department’s bid for reaccreditation.

08/09/05
By Matt Tuck, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Although there were many officials in the room, few citizens participated Monday in the public hearing portion of the Rome Police Department’s three-year national reaccreditation process.

Out of the some 10 citizens in attendance, five took to the podium Monday night, and three of those had complaints about the Floyd County Police Department, not Rome.

“Some of the people thought this was a hearing for all the police departments,” said Rome police Maj. Elaine Snow. “I think some people didn’t fully understand that this was more about giving an overall opinion of our department and not so much about specific problems.”

The hearing was part of the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc.’s review of the Rome police standards and practices.

Earlier in the day, a dedicated phone line was available for citizens to voice their opinions. Rob Geis, former chief of police in Dublin, Ohio, and the team leader for the three-member CALEA panel, said the group received several calls Monday. “Most of them were good,” he said.

Rome’s Nealon Guthrie, who spoke to the panel about his son’s arrest by the Floyd County Police Department, said he wished more people had turned out for the hearing. “There should have been many people here,” he said. “People had their chance to speak about the department and didn’t do it.”

Snow said at least the citizens were able to express themselves and were given contact information.

Carl Gibson of Rome complained to the CALEA panel about what he said was a rude experience with a Rome policeman. Gibson said he was involved in a wreck earlier this year on North Broad Street in which he was written a citation.

“He talked to (the other driver) for 20 to 30 minutes, but he never consulted me,” he said. “When he came back to me, he gave me a ticket and said, ‘If you don’t like it, go to court.’ I don’t think that officer was fair.”

Geis later told Gibson he should contact Rome police and follow departmental procedures.

Although the public hearing is over, citizens still have an avenue to voice their opinions about the department. People can mail responses to CALEA Inc., 1032 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA 22030-2215. For those with Internet capabilities, e-mails can be sent to CALEA@calea.org with Rome Police Department included in the subject line.

Geis said his visit will continue through Wednesday, and Rome will find out whether it will be reaccredited at a CALEA conference in Nashville, Tenn., in November.

State begins telling its side

2005-08-09T07:43:00.000-05:00

Test-giver, former teacher say Rogers not retarded

08/10/05
By Lauren Gregory, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

James Randall Rogers’ attorneys brought three psychologists to the stand to testify that he is “mentally retarded.”

The state began laying out its response Tuesday to the mental competency petition of James Randall Rogers, bringing three witnesses to the stand to rebut testimony from three plaintiff witnesses who called Rogers “retarded.”

Rogers’ attorneys, Jimmy Berry and Ralph Knowles, rested their case as soon as jurors were seated Tuesday morning.

On Friday and Monday, they had produced three psychologists supporting their argument that Rogers is “mentally retarded” under Georgia law.

Rogers, who received the death penalty in 1982 after being convicted of raping and murdering 75-year-old Grace Perry of Rome, cannot be executed if he is deemed retarded as a result of the ongoing competency hearing.

The jury panel charged with making that decision is not permitted to know any of his criminal history, although two jurors Tuesday morning told the judge they saw Rogers in or around a marked sheriff’s car.

Specially-appointed Senior Judge Tom Pope, who dismissed a juror Monday after he said he remembered Rogers had been part of another case, asked the two individually if their decisions would be influenced by what they had witnessed.

Receiving negative answers, Pope proceeded without disqualifying either.

Prosecutor Martha Jacobs then opened her case, calling licensed professional counselor James Mills of Milledgeville to the stand. Mills had administered a court-ordered intelligence test in 2000 — the last of seven taken by Rogers during a 23-year period — on which Rogers reportedly scored an 89, his highest score ever.

Earlier testimony in the case indicated that an IQ of 70 or lower is generally accepted as the cutoff for mental retardation.

Although Mills told Jacobs he had not had a stake in the outcome of the exam, Berry alluded during cross-examination that the counselor could have influenced the scoring.

“It was not my intent to improve or coach,” Mills told him.

“You had some (scores) that were zeroes,” Berry contended, “and you made inquiries to get them to ones or twos.”

Berry subsequently criticized the state’s second witness, former Rome City Schools teacher Frank Davis. Davis, who taught Rogers social studies in seventh grade, testified that Rogers had “very poor attendance” but “was doing acceptable” and “probably would have passed if he had been there.”

Berry attacked Davis’ lack of written records to prove his point, also citing his lack of knowledge about Rogers’ family, friends, extracurricular activities and home life.

The day ended with testimony from Dr. Richard Hark, despite repeated attempts from Berry and Knowles to bar him from taking the stand.

After several jabs from Knowles about his scoring techniques, Hark continued to support his conclusion about Rogers: “I don’t believe he’s mentally retarded.”

Proceedings are scheduled to resume with the state’s next witness at 9 a.m. today.

Also, two experts testified Monday, saying the convicted murderer's intelligence was "substandard."

08/09/05
By Lauren Gregory, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Day two of convicted murderer James Randall Rogers’ mental competency hearing began Monday morning with the dismissal of a juror and continued into the afternoon with the needling of two expert witnesses.

Juror Reuben Finley of Rome was sent home before testimony resumed Monday after he told Judge Tom Pope his vague recollection of a previous court case involving Rogers.

Finley’s realization meant immediate disqualification, as jurors are charged only with deciding whether Rogers is “mentally retarded” according to Georgia law.

They are not to know anything about his criminal history, which includes a 1982 conviction for the rape and murder of 75-year-old Grace Perry of Rome.

Rogers received the death penalty that same year; however, if he is deemed retarded as a result of his ongoing competency proceedings, he cannot be executed.

Lawyers for Rogers put two expert witnesses on the stand Monday, both supporting the argument that Rogers shows “significantly substandard” intellectual functioning.

Dr. David Ryback, an Atlanta psychologist, testified that according to tests administered by several other psychologists, Rogers is “clearly, substantially substandard.”

Chief Assistant District Attorney Martha Jacobs attacked Ryback’s conclusions, indicating his evaluation, which dates back to 1994, was “pure speculation” — especially because he has never met Rogers and because all the information with which he was provided came solely from Rogers’ own attorneys.

Jacobs then attacked Ryback himself, having him read aloud to jurors documents that showed he faced a suspended license and probation for having sex with a group therapy patient and using the group to obtain therapy for himself.

Ryback, Jacobs pointed out, was on probation when he wrote the evaluation on Rogers.

With Dr. Marc Zimmerman, a psychologist from Baton Rouge, La., Jacobs’ line of questioning focused on the specific qualifications for mental retardation.

Since Georgia law does not stipulate a specific intelligence quotient as a cutoff, Zimmerman testified, poor school performance and affidavits from Rogers’ family members and former teachers are good indicators of functioning.

This kind of information translates to poor adaptive skills, he said, including communication skills and the ability to take care of oneself.

According to Zimmerman, Rogers was only “socially passed” in some grades — he couldn’t necessarily do the academic work — and was never able to hold meaningful, skilled employment.

Jacobs challenged Zimmerman by asking him why other factors couldn’t contribute to failure in school and whether it seems logical that a 19-year-old — Rogers’ age the last time he held a job — would not necessarily be equipped to perform technical, long-term work.

Additional witnesses are expected to be called today when proceedings resume at 9 a.m.

Meetings on river walk planned

2005-08-09T07:38:00.000-05:00

The public is invited to learn about — and comment on — the project.

08/22/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Romans will get a chance to have their voices heard on a proposed downtown river walk in two public meetings.

Design firm Jordan, Jones and Goulding will appear at two public meetings to discuss a river walk master plan that encompasses the town side of the Oostanaula River from the South Broad Bridge to the Rome-Floyd County Library. The meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Sept. 24. Both meetings will be at The Forum.

“First, they want to talk about the scope of the project and let everyone know what this is all about,” said Ron Sitterding, Rome’s Community Development director. “The first meeting is more on information for the public. The one in September is geared toward getting people’s ideas on what they want done.”

Rome has put up some $48,000 for the master plan, expected in October. Sitterding said the river walk will turn what is currently a walking trail into a pedestrian destination. “This is going to involve some detailed plans to build things,” he said.

Thursday’s meeting won’t involve plans for Rome’s river walk, Sitterding said, though it will feature samples of other projects JJ&G has worked on. The meeting’s purpose is to spur creative thought for September’s meeting.

The Thursday meeting will take questions about the project on a one-on-one basis, said Rome’s public information officer Jennifer Collins.

The second meeting will be a workshop, where everyone will put river walk ideas on the table.

“The real public forum is going to be at the September workshop, where people can present their ideas,” Collins said. “(Thursday’s meeting) is more of an informational kick-start of this program.”

The first phase of the river walk, which could begin this spring, would focus on the area around the proposed pedestrian bridge, which is planned to connect The Forum’s parking lot with West Third Street.

The second phase would focus on the Fifth Avenue area and could include a path beneath that bridge, Sitterding said.

Some $450,000 in Georgia Department of Transportation funds has been allocated for the river walk.

The money originally was slated for the Mayo Lock and Dam.

Officials discuss changes they want made to a draft agreement for West Third Street’s redevelopment.

08/09/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Rome officials got their first look at a draft agreement for the West Third Street project on Wednesday. On Monday they heard recommendations on what to change.

City Manager John Bennett focused on several points in a memorandum of understanding that he told the West Third Street Development Committee he would like tweaked.

“I think it’s very critical that we get all the costs captured going in,” Bennett said. “It’s not easy going back for more TAD (tax allocation district) money.”

Nailing down cost specifics was just one item Bennett discussed Monday. Issues such as control of buildings constructed on West Third and money slated for relocating existing facilities were also broached.

“We’ve got a lot of decisions to make, and we’ve got to make them in a short time,” Bennett said.

Originally the City Commission was scheduled to vote on the memorandum Aug. 15, but that vote has been postponed.

Wednesday’s meeting was the latest step in a plan by local developers Doc Kibler and Delos H. “Dee” Yancey to open up much of West Third Street for development by relocating Barron Stadium near State Mutual Stadium and the Rome-Floyd Tennis Center to Riverside Parkway.

West Third would be transformed into a multi-use area with retail, residences, medical facilities, parking decks and greenspaces.

A TAD would finance the stadium and tennis center moves as well as infrastructure improvements and possibly parking decks on West Third.

TADs provide redevelopment money by allowing the city to issue bonds based off the future property tax revenue of new buildings within the district.

As the new buildings bring in more property tax, the city pays off the bonds.

Bennett spent a majority of Monday’s meeting discussing memorandum specifics, such as a restriction on what buildings could go on West Third.

Under the current draft agreement, nothing prohibits the developers from putting a grocery store or warehouse-style retailer on the property.

That’s not the type of development the city envisions.

If a change in the conceptual plan were to occur, Bennett wants the Rome City Commission to vote on it.

Concerning TAD money, Bennett said 30 percent is allocated to facilities such as Barron Stadium.

The other 70 percent is slated for infrastructure improvements.

“The biggest part of it are the parking decks,” Bennett said.

Bennett also pointed out that only $328,500 has been allocated for the proposed relocation of the gymnastics center and recreation authority offices — currently on West Third.

That means the city must find existing buildings to move them to or find more money, Bennett said.

The parking issue in the redevelopment has been on the table for the past several meetings.

While the document already has the outline of an agreement — the developers would own the decks and the city would lease spaces — Bennett wants a low lease rate assured and more parking for future business in the area.

“We think there should be more guaranteed rentals for the other buildings,” he added. “We want 60-75 percent of the spaces guaranteed to be leased to businesses.”

The central parking deck is currently slated for 466 spaces.

The committee is scheduled to meet again Aug. 17 at 4 p.m., when the full commission is expected to hear updates on the memorandum.

Peter Jennings, network anchor, dies at 67

2005-08-08T07:29:00.000-05:00

08/08/05
By David Bauder, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK — Peter Jennings, the suave, Canadian-born broadcaster who delivered the news to Americans each night in five separate decades, died Sunday. He was 67.

Jennings, who announced in April that he had lung cancer, died at his New York home, ABC News President David Westin said late Sunday.

“Peter has been our colleague, our friend, and our leader in so many ways. None of us will be the same without him,” Westin said.

With Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, Jennings was part of a triumvirate that dominated network news for more than two decades, through the birth of cable news and the Internet. His smooth delivery and years of international reporting experience made Jennings particularly popular among urban dwellers.

Jennings was the face of ABC News whenever a big story broke. He logged more than 60 hours on the air during the week of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, offering a soothing sense of continuity during a troubled time.

“There are a lot of people who think our job is to reassure the public every night that their home, their community and their nation is safe,” he told author Jeff Alan. “I don’t subscribe to that at all. I subscribe to leaving people with essentially — sorry it’s a cliche — a rough draft of history. Some days it’s reassuring, some days it’s absolutely destructive.”

Jennings’ announcement four months ago that the longtime would begin treatment for lung cancer came as a shock.

“I will continue to do the broadcast,” he said, his voice husky, in a taped message that night. “On good days, my voice will not always be like this.”

But although Jennings occasionally came to the office between chemotherapy treatments, he never again appeared on the air.

“He knew that it was an uphill struggle. But he faced it with realism, courage, and a firm hope that he would be one of the fortunate ones,” Westin said. “In the end, he was not.”

Broadcasting was the family business for Jennings. His father, Charles Jennings, was the first person to anchor a nightly national news program in Canada and later became head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s news division. A picture of his father was displayed prominently in Jennings’ office off ABC’s newsroom.

Charles Jennings’ son had a Saturday morning radio show in Ottawa at age 9. Jennings never completed high school or college, and began his career as a news reporter at a radio station in Brockton, Ontario. He quickly earned an anchor job at Canadian Television.

Sent south to cover the Democratic national convention in 1964, the handsome, dashing correspondent was noticed by ABC’s news president. Jennings was offered a reporting job and left Canada for New York.

As the third-place news network, ABC figured its only chance was to go after young viewers. Jennings was picked to anchor the evening news and debuted on Feb. 1, 1965. He was 26.

“It was a little ridiculous when you think about it,” Jennings told author Barbara Matusow. “A twenty-six-year-old trying to compete with Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley. I was simply unqualified.”

Critics savaged him as a pretty face unfit for the promotion. Using the Canadian pronunciations for some words and once misidentifying the Marine Corps’ anthem as “Anchors Aweigh” didn’t help his reputation. The experiment ended three years later.

He later described the humbling experience as an opportunity, “because I was obliged to figure out who I was and what I really wanted to be.”

Assigned as a foreign correspondent, Jennings thrived. He established an ABC News bureau in Beirut, and became an expert on the Middle East. He won a Peabody Award for a 1974 profile of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

On the scene at the Munich Olympics in 1972, Jennings was perfectly placed to cover the hostage-taking of Israeli athletes by an Arab terrorist group. He and a crew hid in the athletes’ quarters for a close-in view of the drama.

Jennings returned to the evening news a decade after his unceremonious departure. In 1978, ABC renamed its broadcast “World News Tonight,” and instituted a three-person anchor team: Frank Reynolds based in Washington, Max Robinson from Chicago and Jennings, by then ABC’s chief foreign correspondent, from London.

Following Reynolds’ death from cancer, ABC abandoned the multi-anchor format and Jennings became sole anchor on Sept. 5, 1983.

Starting in 1986, Jennings began a decade on top of the ratings. His international experience served him well explaining stories like the collapse of European communism, the first Gulf War and the terrorist bombing of an airplane over Lockerbie, Scotland. He took pride that “World News Tonight,” as its name suggested, took a more worldly view than its rivals. Fans responded to his smart, controlled style.

“When it’s clearly an emotional experience for the audience, the anchor should not add his or her emotional layers,” Jennings said in an interview with the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.

Two-thirds of local broadcasters responding to a 1993 survey by Broadcasting & Cable magazine said Jennings was the best network news anchor. Washington Journalism Review named him anchor of the year three straight years.

With Americans looking more inward in the mid to late-1990s, NBC’s Tom Brokaw surpassed Jennings in the ratings. ABC was still a close No. 2, however. When Brokaw stepped down in November 2004, followed shortly by Rather, ABC began an advertising campaign stressing Jennings’ experience — an ironic twist given how his ABC News career began.

But ABC was never able to learn whether Jennings could take advantage of his role as an elder statesman; his cancer diagnosis came only a month after Rather left the anchor chair.

Jennings was proud of his Canadian citizenship, although it was occasionally a sore point with some critics. When Jennings spoke at the dedication of a museum celebrating the U.S. Constitution in 2003, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told him, “not bad for a Canadian.”

Jennings whispered back his secret: He had just passed a test earning him dual citizenship in the United States.

“My decision to do this has nothing to do with politics,” Jennings told The Associated Press at the time. “It has nothing to do with my profession. It has everything to do with my family.”

Restlessly curious, Jennings pushed ABC News to use the turn of the century for a massive historical study. He co-wrote a book, “The Century,” with Todd Brewster and anchored a marathon 25-hour special ending Jan. 1, 2000. Jennings and Brewster also traveled the backroads to write “In Search of America.”

Jennings also led a documentary team at ABC News, which struck a chord in 2000 with the high-rated spiritual special “The Search for Jesus.”

“I have never spent a day in my adult life where I didn’t learn something,” Jennings told the Saturday Evening Post. “And if there is a born-again quality to me, that’s it.”

Like Rather and Brokaw, Jennings wasn’t entirely comfortable stuck to a studio. He traveled around the world to cover stories and, when he didn’t journey to Asia to cover the aftermath of the tsunami less than four months before his cancer diagnosis, it was noticed.

He is survived by his wife, Kayce Freed, and his two children, Elizabeth, 25, and Christopher, 23.

Backed-up mowers leave overgrown roadsides

2005-08-06T19:33:00.000-05:00

The county has three mowing crews working on a rotation schedule.

08/06/05
By Lindy Dugger, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Somewhere on Old Shannon Road off Ga. 53 there is a fire hydrant almost completely obscured from view by weeds that are nearly 6 feet tall. Kudzu and grass are overtaking another part of the road.

Resident Gary Ingram has a question: Where are the mowers?

“It looks like a slum up here. There’s rats, mice, snakes and trash everywhere,” he said.

Michael Skeen, director of Floyd County Public Works, said three mowing crews, each with two mowers and various hand tools, are spread throughout the county working on a rotation schedule. The department tries to mow each road in the county twice a year.

“As of right now we’d be behind, I’m sure,” said Skeen. “But come fall and on into October and November, we’ll get caught back up.”

Hand crews do unscheduled work in an area if foliage growth becomes a safety hazard. Skeen said that the department only knows about these areas if they happen to spot them or if people call and report them.

The weather is partly to blame for the mowing delay. Skeen said excessive rain not only is causing the grass to grow much quicker and thicker than usual, but the rain can also dilute the chemical spray the department uses to hinder weed growth.

“Between the combination of cutting and spraying we can usually get a handle on it, but this year has been an unusual year,” said Skeen.

“A lot of areas, even if the weeds are shoulder-high, it might not look nice, but it’s not a safety hazard,” said Floyd County Manager Kevin Poe. “If it is, ... we’ll take care of that.”

“We are working some overtime to try to get a better handle on it, but you buy two new tractors and hire two new employees and you’re talking about spending easily $80,000,” said Poe.

Skeen said it isn’t practical to move mowers from one area to another because of a complaint. “Shannon has its areas that are rough, but right now (the area) where the mowers are, it’s just as bad,” Skeen said. “I can show you areas that are worse.”

The county has six tractors that must cover 1,500 miles of county road twice a year, and sometimes a mower will have to make anywhere between two to four passes in order to get a good cut, Skeen said.

“We’re fortunate if we can get 20 or 30 miles cut a week. That would be great if we could get 20 miles a week out of one tractor,” he said.

Skeen said a crew is currently working on Bells Ferry Road in Shannon and estimated it could be two to three weeks before the area is finished.

Jury: Rogers is competent

2005-08-06T19:30:00.000-05:00

The 12-member panel announced its decision within an hour of deliberations.

08/12/05
By Lauren Gregory, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Herman Poe said he got the best birthday present he ever had Thursday — reassurance that the man convicted in 1982 of raping and killing his mother-in-law will most likely be put to death because a Floyd County Superior Court jury decided he is not mentally retarded.

A 12-member panel announced its decision in death row inmate James Randall Rogers’ retardation trial within an hour Thursday, ending nine days of proceedings dedicated to determining if Rogers shows “significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning.”

Rogers — convicted and sentenced to death for the 1980 rape and murder of his 75-year-old neighbor, Grace Perry of Rome, and the assault of Perry’s 63-year-old cousin, Edith Polston — would not have been executed if the jury had found him mentally retarded.

Poe, who turned 80 on Thursday, hugged Chief Assistant District Attorney Martha Jacobs and the DA’s Chief Investigator, John Harkins, after the verdict was released at 5:25 p.m. “It’s the best (present) I ever had, I guess,” he said with a gentle smile.

He also hugged Polston’s daughter Judy Carnes, the only other family member, he said, who could hold back emotion enough to sit through proceedings with him day after day.

For Carnes, the verdict — although not the final word in the case — brings closure to 25 years of court proceedings finally seem possible.

“It was just a relief,” she said. “We want an end to it. It’s just been going on for so long. (Rogers will) have an appeal, but at least this is a step in the right direction.”

Jacobs, too, had to wipe her eyes. “I’m relieved,” she concluded after retreating back to her office. “You have to look back at what he did to the victim.”

During mental retardation hearings, jurors are not permitted to know anything about a petitioner’s criminal history. That made it “very difficult,” she said, to try Rogers’ mental retardation case without revealing that he is imprisoned in Jackson and that he allegedly killed Perry very brutally, “stabbing, tearing and puncturing” her body with the handle of a garden rake.

But jurors outside the courthouse Thursday said testimony from several expert witnesses and letters written by Rogers himself were enough to make their decision about his mental capacity easy.

“We considered all the evidence that was presented to us, and we came to a decision,” said juror Judy Mantooth of Rome. “There were no opinions involved at all. It was just based on the evidence.”

Compelling new evidence surfaced in the case Thursday afternoon, when specially appointed Senior Judge Tom Pope allowed the state to admit into evidence a letter written by Rogers in 2001 to the now retired Superior Court Judge Robert G. Walther.

In the letter, Rogers explained he did not want a mental retardation hearing because his “innocence is moot in such proceedings.” According to Rogers, his attorneys asked him to “cheat” on intelligence tests by purposely getting low scores.

“I am not mentally retarded,” the letter stated. “I proved that in Floyd County court, so why would these attorneys claim otherwise?”

Rogers’ attorneys called their client’s former defense attorney, Thomas Dunn of Atlanta, to rebut those claims. After reading the letter, along with a similar piece of correspondence written in 2003 aloud to jurors, Dunn announced that Rogers’ accusations were false.

Dunn also suggested the possibility that “jailhouse lawyers” could have helped Rogers express himself better in the letter than he could have on his own.

But in her closing statement Thursday, Jacobs explained to jurors that the letters told “the rest of the story,” fleshing out the “borderline” IQ scores Rogers’ attorney Jimmy Berry insisted meant “intellectual functioning that is subaverage.”

“We’re talking about the difference here between could and would,” Jacobs said.

Flag trampling upsets students, parents

2005-08-05T07:33:00.000-05:00

Model High School teacher Rob Hall used the demonstration as part of a civics class for freshmen.

08/05/05
By Marc Dadigan, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer
Respond to this story

A Model High School teacher’s lesson on the First Amendment that included him throwing the American flag to the ground and trampling it has outraged some parents and students but brought fellow educators to his defense.

At the beginning of a Wednesday civics lesson with a class of about 25 freshmen, Rob Hall threw the classroom’s flag to the ground, stomped on it and told the students “some people only see (the flag) as a piece of cloth,” according to Principal Glenn White.

“I don’t want the community to think we disrespected the flag,” White said. “We want to let our students know about other points of view while encouraging them to be patriotic.”

White, who spoke on Hall’s behalf, said the teacher told him he wouldn’t be doing the demonstration again.

That is what Floyd County resident Frank Cronan wanted to hear. His stepdaughter is a student in Hall’s class, and he was outraged when she told him of the incident.

“He shouldn’t be teaching my kids to throw the flag on the ground,” he said. “I’m just worried about his beliefs. I’m wondering what else is he going to teach my kids?”

Superintendent Kelly Henson said Thursday afternoon he was unaware of the incident but was concerned about what reportedly happened.

“I would be concerned if anyone, whether they meant for the perception to be this way or that way, besmirched or belittled the American flag,” he said.

Hall will continue to teach the civics class, White said, and Henson said he would have to look into the incident before deciding if any disciplinary action is necessary.

“We would have to look at the specific actions and what the intent was,” he said.

Other history teachers said they understood why Hall abused the flag in his class, even if they wouldn’t have done the same.

“There’s definite value in playing the devil’s advocate, to get the students to hear and see opinions other than their parents’,” said Scott Wilson, social studies department chair at Armuchee High.

Calling Hall an excellent teacher, Randy Vice, the social studies department chair at Coosa High, said he would give Hall the benefit of the doubt.

“Only he knows what motivates his students, and it is definitely an illustration of free speech,” he said. “But I personally would never do that.”

Cronan added the incident wasn’t any easier to accept given that 11 members of Georgia’s 48th Brigade Combat Team have died serving in Iraq during the past few weeks.

“There are people who have died for what the flag symbolizes, and people who are dying for the flag in Iraq,” he said. “I just want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Whether the rights to freedom of speech should include actions such as Hall’s have long been debated. Most recently a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ban flag desecration was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June, but prognosticators doubt whether it will pass muster in the Senate.

Gas prices burn Romans

2005-08-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

08/05/05
By Bucky Chapman, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Randy Brock of Rome pumps gas Thursday at the Coastal Shell station on Redmond Circle, where the price was $2.18 per gallon. Prices jumped as much as eight cents Thursday. Bucky Chapman / RN-T
Gas prices jumped as much as eight cents for regular unleaded on Thursday, leaving some people at the pumps shocked, discouraged and disgusted.

Drivers were paying as much as $2.29 per gallon at some Rome stations.

Rome’s Curt Melton, who stopped by the Kroger gas station and ended up putting $13.73 in his Cadillac, said the raise makes him feel helpless. Unleaded gas at the station was $2.21 per gallon.

“It’s depressing because we have no control over it,” he said. “Every time it rises I have to drive less and less.”

Like Melton, Monica Wagner, also of Rome, said the higher prices cripple her traveling plans. Wagner, who pumped $4 in gas at the BP station on Martha Berry Boulevard, said she was driving a rental car because she had to trade in her Pathfinder because of the steep prices.

“It’s extremely discouraging,” she said. “I had to get a smaller car because I couldn’t keep filling (my SUV) up for $30 or $40.”

The price for unleaded at the BP was $2.17 per gallon.

Drivers from neighboring towns were surprised by the increase as well. Glenda Adam of Cedartown said she was shocked when she pulled into the Kangaroo gas station on U.S. 27 near Floyd College where unleaded gas was $2.21 a gallon.

“It’s ridiculous,” she said, filling up her Dodge Caravan and paying $36.66. “But I need gas to drive around.”

The price also surprised Jeri Griffin, a Kangaroo station clerk. “I couldn’t believe it was higher from when I left last night and came in this morning,” she said.

Business at the Kangaroo station isn’t slowing down despite the price change, according to Griffin.

“We stay busy all the time,” she said. “The only thing it changes is people complain more.”

Business at Rhonda’s gas station on Turner McCall Boulevard, however, was slower early Thursday.

“No one wants to get out and spend the money, and when they do they buy less gas,” said Firoz Lakhani, a store clerk. “The prices are just too high.” Unleaded gas was $2.29 per gallon.

The rise, he said, has led to fewer customers coming in to purchase items other than gas. “We’re a small store, and with the prices rising it is harder for us to keep buying more stock,” Lakhani said.

The raise, however, wasn’t too big of a surprise to Randy Brock of Rome.

“There’s nothing you can really do about it,” he said. “It just makes me not want to drive much.”

The $10 worth of gas he put into his Honda Civic at the Coastal Shell gas station on Redmond Circle, where unleaded gas was $2.18 per gallon, will be a damper on his traveling plans, Brock said.

“I won’t be getting very far on this much gas.”

Upgrades at Forum near

2005-08-04T08:14:00.000-05:00

New dressing rooms, showers at facility will cost county $246,600

08/04/05
By Diane Wagner/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Construction is expected to start this month on new dressing rooms aimed at attracting more events to The Forum.

“This should put us in good standing with everybody,” said Brent Poplin, manager of The Forum. “It’s a marketing point to the Georgia High School Association and other promoters of sporting events and concerts.”

Poplin said the Georgia High School Association —with its wrestling and basketball tournaments — has been one of The Forum’s biggest clients. But teams often have to cram into meeting rooms or other makeshift spaces when the two single-shower locker rooms in the basement are full.

After several years of talks and seven months of price negotiations the Floyd County Commission agreed in July to spend $246,600 on upgrades.

“If they start right away, it can be done before we get too far into (the season of) basketball and school sporting events,” Commissioner Jerry Jennings said.

Rome-based Pinson’s Inc. was the low bidder on the project, which will add two dressing rooms, each with four “gang-style” showers. The areas on the upper left and upper right sides of the arena are being used for storage now, but $52,400 of the money will go toward replacing the lost space.

“The storage will be two pods on the river side of the building that will blend in with the exterior,” Assistant County Manager Sammy Rich said.

Commissioners cut the original low bid by $31,800 by eliminating dehumidifiers, decorative mosaic tiles and observation decks on the tops of the locker rooms. They also dropped plans for more bleachers that would have cost $89,000.

“We can add the other items later, if we decide to,” said Commissioner Tom Bennett, who started working with Pinson’s and architect Mike Page in February to bring down the $278,400 original bid.

Page said the rising cost of steel, plus internal plumbing and electrical changes required by the additional showers, made it impossible to cut any more from the bottom line.

Poplin said he will be meeting soon with Page and representatives with Pinson’s to arrange a construction schedule. The two small locker rooms will remain available, and the work is not expected to disrupt any large events, he said.

“Even if it does,” he said. “It will show people we’re improving.”

Developers talk numbers

2005-08-04T08:11:00.000-05:00

The West Third group estimates the project will cost some $20 million.

08/04/05
By Alan Riquelmy/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The proposed construction of a new Barron Stadium and other public facilities near State Mutual Stadium is expected to cost some $20 million, city officials heard Wednesday. The city’s West Third Street Development Committee heard cost numbers during a meeting with Northwest Georgia LLC.

Northwest Georgia LLC’s project proposes the construction of a new Barron Stadium and other public facilities near State Mutual Stadium as well as tennis courts on Riverside Parkway.

The West Third Street area where the tennis courts and stadium now sit would be redeveloped into a multi-use area with a proposed cancer center, retail stores, residences and greenspaces.

Before digging into the details of a draft memorandum of understanding between the city and Northwest Georgia LLC, Blaine Williams, a project manager with Adams, a capital planning and development firm, broke down the costs and values of private and public facilities included in the plan.

“This is not about a project we would do haphazardly,” said Doc Kibler, a Northwest Georgia partner.

“It’s been a monumental task in putting all the intricacies of this project on paper. We’ve got more than just a calculated risk here.”

“There’s been an awful lot of activity on these recently,” Kibler said of those interested in buying the redeveloped property. “We’ve had lots of folks coming through the door.”

The committee is scheduled to meet again Monday at 4 p.m. to continue discussion.

A Tax Allocation District is expected to raise some $20 million for the construction of facilities such as Barron Stadium and a tennis center. It would also fund the relocation of the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority offices to land next to State Mutual Stadium from the authority’s existing West Third Street location. A TAD enables the city to sell bonds based off future property tax revenue of developments within the district — currently slated to encompass The West Third area, a portion of Riverside between the Rome Senior Center and the state Department of Family and Children Services building and land near State Mutual Stadium. Revenue from the bonds will then be used to construct public facilities, while the TAD revenue will go toward paying off the bonds.

Though Williams cautioned that the figures he provided are only estimates, a relocated Barron Stadium is expected to cost close to $4 million. As part of the memorandum, Northwest Georgia would supply $1 million of the cost. The stadium is slated for completion Aug. 15, 2006.

The tennis center is expected to cost $1,432,566, which would build 20 courts on Riverside Parkway. The existing Rome-Floyd Tennis Center on West Third has 16 courts.

Money for the courts would come from the bonds, though grants could provide enough money for 32 courts. However, like the numbers, the additional funding isn’t set in stone.

The remaining costs, which include streetscape work, greenspaces and $166,000 for the city and developers to recoup money already spent toward the project, push the construction estimate up to $18,646,516 during six years. About another $1.5 million is required for financing costs.

Williams also provided estimates for how much West Third private development would be worth. A cancer center would be valued at $16.5 million, while a levee-side hotel would be valued at $9.625 million.

Residential lofts would be worth $2 million.

No TAD money would go toward private development.

Before the project can move

forward, the city and Northwest Georgia must agree on the memorandum of understanding.

“Another vital part is the construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Oostanaula River,” said Atlanta-based attorney Gregory Randall, who helped draft the memorandum.

The bridge, which would span the river behind The Forum, has already been bid out unsuccessfully three times in the past six years. The fourth bid opening is scheduled for Aug. 25.

A $1.2 million Georgia Department of Transportation grant was given to the city for the bridge in 1999, though the DOT removed it in March. State transportation board chairman David Doss, who lives in Rome, has said he will reinstate the funds if an agreement on the West Third project between city and developers is made.

Other conditions for the project include a shared parking agreement between the city, Floyd County and Rome Braves at the State Mutual Stadium site as well as rezoning West Third parcels.

IG finds cracks in Medicaid's verification system

2005-08-03T13:36:00.000-05:00

08/03/05
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of states don't verify claims of U.S. citizenship by those seeking Medicaid, which creates the potential for illegal immigrants to access the health care program, an inspector general's report has found.

``The quality assurance checks aren't there. That's how we see it,'' said Jodi Nudelman, an acting regional inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services. ``And it's our sense the people may not be aware of that.''

Federal law says that, with a few exceptions, a person must be a citizen to receive Medicaid benefits. States can accept a signed declaration as proof of U.S. citizenship. Forty-six states do.

Only Montana, New York, New Hampshire and Texas require applicants to submit documents verifying citizenship.

Of the states that allow self-declaration of citizenship before accessing Medicaid, 27 did not conduct subsequent auditing that would verify an applicant's statements were true.

One reason the federal government allows for self-declaration of citizenship with Medicaid is that it speeds access to health care.

The inspector general's report does not address to what extent there is a problem with illegal immigrants accessing Medicaid, only that the potential exists. Only one state, Oregon, has conducted an audit to determine how often ``noncitizens'' gained access to Medicaid.

Oregon's secretary of state reviewed a sample of 812 applications in 2002 and found that 25 were not citizens. The state estimated that it would cost an additional $2 million if 1 percent of the Medicaid rolls are not citizens.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services responded that it agreed that states should have systems in place to ensure the citizenship of applicants. However, it also noted that the IG's report raises only a potential problem.

``The report does not find particular problems regarding false allegations of citizenship, nor are we aware of any,'' CMS officials replied.

In some cases, newly arrived legal immigrants, as well as illegal immigrants, can lawfully access Medicaid, but such coverage is greatly limited to emergency care.

Regents taking yearlong look at graduation

2005-08-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

08/03/05
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Are students taking too long to earn a degree in Georgia colleges and universities? Some leaders of the university system think so, and one believes the state should consider offering financial incentives to students who take heavier course loads.

Reduced tuition rates or cash grants to those who graduate in four years might be one way to encourage students to view college as a four-year course of study rather than taking six years to get an undergraduate degree as many now do, said Tim Shelnut, the new chairman of the Board of Regents.

``We've got to create some excitement among our students where they feel like they're benefiting financially,'' Shelnut said Wednesday as the board concluded its two-day monthly meeting.

Shelnut told the board earlier that improving the system's retention and graduation rate will be a focus of his term as chairman, and during an extensive briefing Wednesday, the board got a look at the state's lagging graduation picture compared to the nation's.

The national graduation rate for students who entered college in 1997 and graduated in 2003 was 54.3 percent. The graduation rate for the university system in Georgia was 50.3 percent.

Besides improving the graduation rate, however, university system leaders want students to complete their course work faster.

In the past, an undergraduate degree was considered four years' worth of study but ``six years is the national benchmark now,'' Chancellor Tom Meredith told the board. ``That's how this thing has slipped. What we want to do is shift it back.''

The reason, he said, is economic.

``Some people think we like to hold onto them so that we will have more tuition and all those kinds of things. Not true. We need their seats. We can't build buildings fast enough. We need their slots in these classrooms, and we need them out there being taxpaying citizens,'' Meredith said.

In the coming year, the board and university system officials plan to examine ways they can improve the graduation rate and encourage students to finish faster, but they acknowledge many students may not want to increase their course load for fear the extra work would jeopardize their grades and cost them their HOPE scholarships.

The board did not name an interim chancellor on Wednesday, as it had been expected to do. Shelnut said a consultant still is preparing a job description for the position.

Meredith, who ran afoul of Gov. Sonny Perdue last year over university system funding issues, is leaving to become higher education commissioner in Mississippi.

However, the board did hear from the search firm it has hired to help find a permanent replacement. Under a timeline submitted to the board, initial candidates would be identified in mid-October and five finalists would be submitted to the board for interviews in mid-November.

Bush signs trade bill, capping bruising battle and close vote

2005-08-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

08/02/05
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush signed a hard-fought free trade pact with five Central American nations and the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, saying the measure would ``advance peace and prosperity throughout the region.''

Bush's signature at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House put the final touch on the Central America Free Trade Agreement, a measure approved by Congress last week with just a two-vote margin in the House after a bruising battle over the future of U.S. trade policy.

That 217-215 vote handed the president an important political victory after months of intense lobbying by the president and his trade officials.

``CAFTA is more than a trade bill,'' Bush said. He said the measure would help strengthen fragile young democracies in Latin America — and show those countries that the United States would stand by their side.

Joining Bush at the signing ceremony were congressional sponsors of the pact and committee leaders and diplomats from the countries that are part of the pact.

The agreement, with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, removes trade barriers and opens up the region to U.S. goods and services. It also takes steps to facilitate investment in the area and strengthens protections for intellectual property.

``The bill I'm about to sign is good for America,'' said Bush.

The measure drew heavy Democratic opposition as well as some GOP defections. Critics argued that it would send more U.S. jobs overseas, although Bush said it would open more markets in the region to U.S. goods.

The president has also cast the measure as an important component of his second-term vow to spread democracy and freedom throughout the world to combat terrorism.

``I welcome the opportunity to make our nation more secure by strengthening our ties with democracies that share our belief in free markets and free governments,'' said Bush.

Bush, in his final push for passage last week, also emphasized that CAFTA was in the national security interests of the United States because the economic partnership would reinforce democratic governments in an area that until recently was torn by civil war and political turmoil.

While the economic impact for the United States is modest — exports to the region are now about $15 billion out of total U.S. exports in goods and services of about $1 trillion annually — the agreement became the medium for a fierce debate over trade policy.

Democrats overwhelmingly opposed CAFTA, arguing that free trade agreements negotiated by both the Clinton and Bush administrations prompted the flight of American jobs overseas. They also said the labor rights provisions in CAFTA were too weak to protect workers in impoverished Central American countries from exploitation.

Dozens of Republicans either agreed that free trade deals endangered U.S. jobs or felt that CAFTA was a threat to the sugar or textile industries in their districts.

Bush and his top trade officials, led by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman, concentrated on these Republicans, offering several side deals to protect the sugar and textile industries and appealing to them to put the interests of the nation, and the party, above parochial concerns.

The outcome was in doubt until after midnight last Wednesday, with GOP leaders holding the 15-minute vote open for more than an hour while they negotiated with wavering members. In the end, 27 Republicans opposed the legislation and 15 Democrats supported it.

The participating nations signed the agreement in May 2004, and the Senate, generally more sympathetic to trade agreements, passed the bill implementing the agreement last June.

Three countries — El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras — have ratified the pact, which will go into effect as soon as those countries and the United States agree on a date. The other three countries have two years to approve it.

Since Bush took office, Congress has signed off on free trade agreements with Jordan, Singapore, Chile, Australia and Morocco. None of those accords faced the difficulty of CAFTA, mainly because the poverty in some CAFTA countries made labor rights a more sensitive issue.

Congressional rejection of CAFTA could also have made it more difficult for the administration to negotiate and win approval of other trade agreements. Next up could be a free trade agreement with Bahrain, followed by others with Thailand and Andean countries.

Portman went directly from his CAFTA victory to Geneva, where the United States is trying to advance World Trade Organization talks, known as the Doha round, to reduce global trade barriers. Also on the agenda is an effort to come together on a free trade agreement encompassing the entire Western Hemisphere.

Lawsuit targets freeze on property tax

2005-08-01T09:55:00.000-05:00

The suit alleges that homestead exemptions — including one in Rome and Floyd — are unconstitutional.

08/01/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Longtime homeowners in Rome and Floyd County could see higher property taxes if a Dade County lawsuit prevails — a likely possibility, said one ACCG official.

According to Clint Mueller, legislative director with the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, 16 cities and 28 counties with property assessment freezes would have local laws crossed off the books pending a decision expected this fall in Dade County Superior Court.

“All those homestead exemptions will probably be ruled unconstitutional because they violate the uniformity provision,” Mueller said. “You’re treating people differently. We think that the court will rule in favor of the suit.”

An assessment freeze essentially stops inflation from affecting local property taxes. If the value of a home rises because of inflation, the homestead exemption given to homeowners who live in their residences rises to offset the assessment increase.

When property changes hands, though, a new assessment occurs and taxes are then levied based on the new, typically higher number. That means long-term homeowners pay less than those who purchased their homes in the more recent past.

That difference is the crux of Rossville-based attorney Christopher Townley’s suit against Dade County’s property tax freeze.

“The Georgia constitution requires uniform taxation of the same class of subjects within a county,” Townley said. “It’s some really basic issues — just fairness. The trick is, you come in and buy a piece of property, you’d check the tax record and see the owner is paying $1,000 in taxes. You buy the property, and boom, you’re paying $2,000 in taxes.”

Townley filed the suit August 2004 — the only such challenge of its kind, Mueller said — on behalf of property owner and former Dade County Commissioner Rex Blevins. If it proves successful, tax freezes across Georgia could become unconstitutional, excepting Columbus.

Columbus’ tax freeze was created by local legislation that amended the state constitution before the current constitution, which prohibits local amendments, became effective.

Tax freezes such as the ones in Floyd and Dade counties were created by a local referendum, not a state amendment.

The elimination of Rome and Floyd County’s tax freeze wouldn’t affect its operations, officials said. Since the freeze became effective in 2003, the county has lost $1,743,360 in revenue.

“It really hasn’t had any major effect on our budget,” said County Manager Kevin Poe. “At this point and time, it’s not having any impact in the county.”

Lower taxes do not lessen the tax burden for long-term property owners, said Mayor Ronnie Wallace. It only shifts it onto businesses, industries and renters.

A sudden increase in the tax digest could mean a lower millage rate for county residents, Poe said, since the Floyd County Commission could adjust the rate to collect only what it needs.

Mayor Ronnie Wallace agreed. Rome has lost $424,040 in revenue since the freeze became effective, though Wallace said the city would lower its millage rate instead of collecting the additional money.

“Our intent would be to only fund the budget,” Wallace said.

City Manager John Bennett echoed the sentiment.

“If it wasn’t for the exemptions, our millage rates would be lower,” he said.

Funding for 411 connector clears another hurdle

2005-07-29T14:14:00.000-05:00

07/29/05
Staff Report

Some $21.8 million has been secured for the U.S. 411 connector to I-75 in the Transportation Equity Act, Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., announced today. Upon Senate approval, the legislation will go to President Bush for signature into law. "I am overjoyed the House and Senate conferees have approved this much-needed funding," said Gingrey. "For almost 30 years, people in northwest Georgia have waited for easier access to I-75. With the $21.8 million we passed today, I'm proud to say we won't have to wait much longer."

Post office work may start in fall

2005-07-29T08:07:00.000-05:00

The new 34,000-square-foot structure will cost an estimated $4,165,000 to $5,145,000.

07/29/05
By Chris Marr, Rome News-Tribune Business Editor

Construction of the new Rome post office looks like it could begin as early as this fall on Martha Berry Boulevard near John Davenport Drive.

The U.S. Postal Service received proposals this month from construction companies interested in working on the project — a 34,000-square-foot structure that is estimated to cost between $4,165,000 and $5,145,000.

The Postal Service’s proposal request says the construction time should be 395 calendar days and that the notice to proceed with construction will be issued no later than Sept. 1.

Contracts for the construction should be awarded within four to six weeks, said Leslie Martin, the Postal Service’s contract specialist on the project.

Once complete, the new post office will reunite the customer service portion and the distribution center, which have been separated since spring 2004, when distribution moved out of the Rome Federal Building on East First Street to the former Battey Machinery building on Ga. 53.

Post office operations have been ordered to move out of the federal building to make room for a long-planned expansion of the federal court, including additional space for bankruptcy and magistrate courts.

For more than a year and a half, the Postal Service has been in the process of buying land on Martha Berry Boulevard from Martin Real Estate and Development Co.

Owner Larry Martin said Thursday that the sale is not complete and he can’t discuss any details yet. John Ivester, the company’s vice president and broker, has said previously that the Postal Service was conducting architectural, engineering and environmental analysis of the site.

The Postal Service’s records also include a list of people and organizations that requested copies of the construction plan.

Among them were more than a dozen companies from around the Southeast, including Rome companies Baker Mechanical Contractors and Pinson’s General Contractors.

Frist to back funding of increased stem cell research

2005-07-29T08:02:00.000-05:00

07/29/05
Associated Press

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Bill First, R-Tenn. (AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Breaking with President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Friday he will support legislation to remove some of the administration's limitations on embryonic stem cell research.

Frist, who last month said he did not support expanded federal financing of such research, said his decision was consistent with both his experience as a physician and his opposition to abortion.

``Now is the time to expand the president's policy because it's promising research, but it must be done in a way that is ethically considerate, that respects the dignity of human life,'' said Frist, who also is a heart and lung transplant surgeon.

The Tennessee Republican, who has been said to be eyeing a run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, said only stem cells from embryos that ``would otherwise be discarded,'' not implanted in a woman or frozen indefinitely, should be considered for research. Interviewed on ABC's ``Good Morning America,'' Frist said his decision was based on policy, not politics.

Almost two-thirds of Americans say they support embryonic stem cell research and a majority of people say they would like to see fewer restrictions on taxpayer funding for those studies, according to recent polls.

``From those cells we have the potential for looking at those diseases that everybody knows about, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and others,'' Frist said.

The senator planned to further outline his policy in a speech on the Senate floor later Friday.

Frist credited Bush with opening the doors for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, and said when this policy was announced in 2001, policy-makers thought 78 stem cell lines would be available. Since then, the number has dropped to 22.

``Those 22 cell lines are not of the quality for human application or human therapy, and that's why today I believe we need to modify that policy,'' Frist said.

When Bush announced his position on stem cell research, he said the government should pay only for research of stem cell colonies, or lines, that had already been created at that time, so that the ``life or death'' decision had already been made.

House passes big energy bill with billions of dollars in tax breaks for oil companies

2005-07-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

07/28/05
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House by a wide margin approved a mammoth energy plan for the nation Thursday that sends billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to energy companies, but is expected to do little to reduce U.S. oil consumption or dampen high energy prices.

``This is a good bill for America,'' declared Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, a key author of the legislation. ``It is for America's future.''

The bill was approved 275-156. Congress now awaits action by the Senate, probably on Friday.

President Bush, facing public pressure to outline a direction for the nation's energy strategy amid soaring oil prices and high gasoline costs at the pump, had called on Congress to give him an energy bill before departing for lawmakers' five-week summer recess.

The 1,725-page bill, the product of weeks of compromise between widely different versions approved by the two chambers earlier this year, would provide $14.5 billion in energy tax breaks, much of it to traditional energy companies. It also provides money for promoting renewable energy sources and new energy technologies and measures to revitalize the nuclear power industry.

``It is not a perfect bill,'' said Sen. John Dingell, D-Mich. But he called it ``a solid beginning'' to diversifying future energy sources, improving the nation's aging electricity grid and fostering more energy conservation.

Rome police being judged

2005-07-27T07:59:00.000-05:00

Citizens will have the chance to air any concerns about the city police to an accreditation agency.

07/27/05
By Matt Tuck, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Whether you love or hate the Rome Police Department, you’ll have a chance to speak your mind in August.

From Aug. 6-10, the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. will send a team of assessors for Rome police’s three-year reaccreditation.

On Aug. 8 at 7 p.m., the doors of the Sam King Room at the City Auditorium will be open for a public hearing where people can discuss the department, said Rome police Pfc. Greg Nichols. “They’ll be able to discuss their issues with the assessors personally, and it’s all recorded,” he said. “They’ll be looking into the citizens’ concerns.”

Nichols said department members will be present but won’t interact with the citizens unless assessors ask police a direct question.

Also, a dedicated phone line will accept comments, he said. From 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 8, people can call 238-5107.

Also, letters can be mailed to Christie Goddard, 1032 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA 22030-2215. Envelopes should be postmarked by Aug. 15, Nichols said.

CALEA is a voluntary national accreditation commission that reviews law enforcement and public safety departments’ professional standards. Those standards range from use of force to dealings with the public, said Janice Dixon, CALEA program specialist.

“It lets the department and citizens know their department is in a group of nationally accepted and recognized standards of operation,” she said.

The Rome department received its initial accreditation in 1986, the 40th police department in the country and second in Georgia to do so, Dixon said. To date, there are 745 law enforcement agencies participating, she added. It is the only police agency in the county participating in CALEA accreditation.

During reaccreditation, CALEA-trained assessors talk to the public, interview staff members and ride with officers, Dixon said. “They’re from all over the country — and sometimes parts of Canada — who review the departments,” she said. “They’re not your buddies from down the street that will give you a break.”

Maj. Elaine Snow said the accreditation makes Rome one of the more-informed departments. “The state has 116 standards, 115 of which are the same as CALEA’s standards,” she said. “CALEA’s is much broader — there are 436 standards — and I think it’s a plus for any agency.”

Visit www.calea.org for more information on CALEA.

Air-quality experts discuss pollution

2005-07-27T07:49:00.000-05:00

07/29/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Jane Wentworth had an important question for state air quality experts who were in Rome on Thursday to talk about local pollution.

“What can we, the public, do to help?” she asked. “How much effect do lawn mowers and other yard machines have?”

The answer may come in the fall after federal officials establish rules for cutting the amount of tiny soot and dust particles in the air, said Jim Kelly, planning and development manager for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s air protection branch. Kelly said it is unlikely that restrictions will be placed on small engines, although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has that option.

“It’s difficult to tell for Floyd County right now,” Kelly said. “We’re trying to keep people informed along the way so, if they get a notice saying they can’t do something, they will know why.”

A score of residents and industry representatives attended the EPD’s open house to learn about the county’s designation as a nonattainment area due to high levels of PM2.5 — microscopic particulate matter that creates haze and health problems.

Al Hodge, president and CEO of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce, noted that large manufacturers are being required to spend millions of dollars on equipment to purify their factory emissions.

“Will that solve the problem?” he asked.

Plant scrubbers, such as those being installed at Georgia Power plants and other industrial controls, “will have a huge impact” on helping regions meet Clean Air Act standards, Kelly said, but other measures also may be needed.

Once the EPA issues its rules, state experts will start running different scenarios through a computer model. A plan of action must be prepared by April 2008, along with data showing the actions will cut PM2.5 to healthy levels by April 2010.

Arguments that local air is polluted from upwind areas will not affect the final scenario, Kelly said, since areas downwind from Floyd County could make the same claim.

“It’s a regional issue,” he said. “Everywhere upstream is another nonattainment area, and they’re all cleaning up on the same schedule.”

The major changes in store are almost certain to include:

More stringent emissions limits on new or expanding large industrial operations and power plants.

Retrofitting of air pollution controls on existing large industries and power plants.

Required coordination between transportation planners and environmental experts to ensure road projects don’t hinder the push to reduce pollution.

A computer-modeled maintenance plan showing the area will continue meeting clean air standards for the following 20 years. Failure to meet air quality standards by the 2010 deadline could lead to even tougher restrictions.

What is fine particle pollution?

Microscopic soot is a byproduct of combustion such as the operation of fossil fuel-burning plants and motor vehicles. The solid or liquid particles are so tiny that breathing can draw them deep into the lungs. Potential health effects include heart attacks and respiratory illnesses.

Source: Georgia Environmental Protection Division

Floyd County is listed as an air-quality nonattainment area.

07/27/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Floyd County residents will have a chance Thursday to see how air pollution is changing their lives.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division will host an open house at the Rome Civic Center to discuss the county’s listing as an air-quality nonattainment area because of the pervading presence of microscopic soot. A plan to lower the amount of fine particle pollution is due to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by April 2006.

“We’ve been working on the transportation angle, but it’s going to affect a lot more than that,” said Joey Davidson of the Rome-Floyd County Planning Department. “This (meeting) is to give people a heads-up.”

When doors open at 6:30 p.m., attendees will be able to spend a half-hour looking at displays and chatting with experts, EPD spokeswoman Vicky Giles said. A formal presentation starts at 7 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer period.

Giles said a major focus is on the State Implementation Plan, which will include specific actions designed to cut emissions that create the soot. Industrial controls are a certainty, transportation changes are pending, and limits on trash-burning and barbecues are possibilities.

“This is about what will happen as the SIP is being developed,” Giles said. “They don’t have a list of rules right now, but we want to involve the public from the beginning.”

Bartow, Walker and Catoosa counties also are among the 27 Georgia counties placed on the federal nonattainment list this year. Similar open houses are scheduled for Aug. 11 at the Cartersville Civic Center and Aug. 25 at the Walker County Civic Center in Rock Spring.

Davidson said an interagency committee is meeting monthly to deal with air quality issues as they affect local transportation projects.

Once the EPD sets an “emissions budget” for the area, each pending project will be run through a computer model to determine how the traffic changes will affect pollution in the future. Metro Atlanta areas exceeding ozone caps were slapped with a freeze on all projects that would add capacity to roads, but Davidson said he does not think that is part of the anti-soot plan.

“The EPD is currently proposing rule changes that would let them have a say on projects deemed regionally significant,” Davidson said. “That’s all the control they’re looking for right now.”

In addition to the planning department, committee members come from the EPA, the EPD, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.

What is fine particle pollution?

Microscopic soot is a byproduct of combustion such as the operation of fossil fuel-burning plants and motor vehicles. The solid or liquid particles are so tiny that breathing can draw them deep into the lungs. Potential health effects include heart attacks and respiratory illnesses. Source: Georgia Environmental Protection Division

End-of-course tests show improvements, need for more

2005-07-26T15:44:00.000-05:00

07/26/05
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Results of Georgia students' end-of-course tests show progress, but exhibit a need for improvements in high school math and science, state school Superintendent Kathy Cox said Tuesday.

Scores on tests given this spring were up slightly from last spring's in all eight subject areas that were tested, according to figures released Tuesday. But math and science scores still languished, with 37 percent of students failing Algebra tests and 35 percent failing geometry.

Cox called the results ``a mixed bag.''

``We made some progress on the exams and we should celebrate that,'' Cox said. ``But the scores show there is plenty of work left to be done in our high schools.''

The tests, mandated by Georgia's 2000 A+ Education Reform Act, are administered several times a year to high school students in core subjects ranging from U.S. history to physical science.

The tests act as a course's final exam and count for roughly 15 percent of a student's grade. The vast majority of those tests are taken in the spring.

This spring, 59 percent of students passed the state's economics test — up from just 44 percent last year — marking the biggest score increase but still the highest failure rate.

Cox said last year she thought the elective course was being taught unevenly throughout the state and that more work would be done to standardize its teaching.

In U.S. history, 75 percent of students passed, up from 63 percent last spring. The pass rate for physical science was up 8 percent, from 60 to 68, and American literature saw a 5-percent improvement — from 89 to 94.

Other math and science tests, however, were lower.

Only 63 percent of students passed the Algebra I test, up three percent from last spring. And 65 percent passed in geometry, a two percent gain.

``This is a call to action for anyone who cares about the future of Georgia and the education of its young people,'' Cox said.

About 59 percent of Georgia high schools met the standards of the federal No Child Left Behind Law this year, a two-percent decrease from last year.

Cox has said performance gains in the state have been more noticeable in elementary school, perhaps because the bulk of state and federal reforms have been focused there.

She said she believes a state curriculum revamped over the past year will benefit middle and high schoolers and that a task force has been set up by the Department of Education to improve performance in high schools.

Canadian Senate approves bill to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide

2005-07-20T08:44:00.000-05:00

07/20/05
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Canada's Senate late Tuesday voted to adopt landmark legislation to legalize gay marriage nationwide despite fierce opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders. The bill could be signed into law as early as Wednesday.

The bill grants same-sex couples legal rights equal to those in traditional unions between a man and a woman, something already legal in a majority of Canadian provinces.

The legislation drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority Liberal Party government easily passed the Senate, which essentially rubber stamps any bill already passed by the House of Commons, which passed it late last month.

The bill becomes law when it is signed by Canada's Governor-General. Once that happens, Canada will become only the fourth country in the world to legalize gay marriage nationwide, after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.

The 47-21 Senate vote came after years of court battles and debate that divided families, religious groups and even political allies.

Martin, a Roman Catholic, has said that despite anyone's personal beliefs, all Canadians should be granted the same rights to marriage.

Churches have expressed concern that their clergy would be compelled to perform same sex ceremonies. The legislation, however, states that the bill only covers civil unions, not religious ones, and no clergy would be forced to perform same-sex ceremonies unless they choose to do so.

The Roman Catholic Church, the predominant Christian denomination in Canada, has vigorously opposed the legislation, saying that it would harm children in particular.

In the United States, Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay marriages; Vermont and Connecticut have approved same-sex civil unions.

Though hundreds of foreigners have come to Canada to seek civil ceremonies since gay marriages were first allowed in Ontario and British Columbia in 2003, not all countries or states recognize the unions.

The U.S. government does not recognize same-sex marriage, and most states refuse to acknowledge marriage certificates from gay and lesbian couples, regardless of where they wed.

On the Net:

Canadians for Equal marriage: http://www.equal-marriage.ca

Defend Marriage Canada: http://www.defendmarriagecanada.org

Too few veterans for Rome clinic, Gingrey told

2005-07-18T15:26:00.000-05:00

07/18/05
Staff Report

Congressman Phil Gingrey announced Monday that a recalculation by the Department of Veterans Affairs still did not show enough Northwest Georgia clients to justify a clinic in Rome.

Gingrey said there is some good news: The Smyrna facility was expanded in May and, along with the Chattanooga clinic, is now accepting new patients. He will continue working with the local American Legion post to improve access to health care for veterans, he said.

Teacher charged with sex with student wants a trial

2005-07-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

07/18/05
Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A middle-school reading teacher whose sexual liaisons with a 14-year-old student made tabloid headlines broke off plea negotiations with prosecutors and will claim insanity at a December trial, her attorney said Monday.

Debra Lafave, 24, was under such emotional stress that she didn't know right from wrong when she had sex with a 14-year-old student numerous times in June 2004, attorney John Fitzgibbons said after a brief court hearing. A Dec. 5 trial date was set.

Fitzgibbons said plea bargaining broke down because prosecutors wanted too much prison time for Lafave, who appeared in court Monday but did not speak.

``To place an attractive young woman in that kind of hell hole is like putting a piece of raw meat in with the lions,'' said Fitzgibbons, who wouldn't talk about details of the negotiations. ``I'm not sure she would survive.''

He said he had hoped to settle the case with a plea agreement, ``not only for Debbie's sake but for the young man's sake.''

A state attorney's office spokeswoman didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

Judge Wayne Timmerman agreed to appoint two mental health professionals to evaluate Lafave, who Fitzgibbons said would claim she is not guilty by reason of insanity.

``What teacher in her right mind would do something like this?'' Fitzgibbons said.

She is charged with four felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery and one count of lewd and lascivious exhibition. Each carries a maximum 15-year prison term.

Prosecutors have said that a state psychologist already determined Lafave was not insane at the time, while one hired by the defense concluded that she was mentally ill.

The teen told investigators that he and Lafave, a newlywed at the time, got to know each other on their way back from a class trip to SeaWorld Orlando in May 2004.

He said she invited him to her class during detention and ended up taking him to his basketball practices at a recreation center, to get his hair cut and to his house, court records said. The sexual relationship allegedly began on June 3, 2004.

The boy told investigators the two had sex in a classroom at Greco Middle School in Temple Terrace near Tampa, her Riverview town house and once in a vehicle while his 15-year-old cousin drove them around Marion County. He said Lafave told him that her marriage was in trouble and that she was aroused by the fact that having sex with him was not allowed.

Jones attorneys question grand jury selection

2005-07-18T13:52:00.000-05:00

07/18/05
By John M. Willis

Attorneys for Jerry William Jones presented more than three hours of testimony Monday about how the grand jury that indicted Jones was chosen.

Just before Judge Carey Nelson recessed for lunch, he appear to grow exasperated with the questioning of members of the Gordon County Jury Commission, three members of which presented similar accounts of how the jury pool in Gordon County is selected.

“This count wants to hear a valid argument that would challenge the grand jury array,” Nelson said just before the noon recess. “Do you have any members of the commission who will testify differently than these three have?”

Michelle Drake, one of two attorneys from the Georgia Capital Defenders Office representing Jones, said there were no inconsistencies in the process used.

Three grand jury commissioners — Janene Grogan, Jim Johnson and Terry Bowen — each testified that commission members chose the pool for both the grand jury and traverse jury by matching required age, race and gender criteria in each of the county’s 14 precincts based on demographic information provided by the state.

“Our contention is that this method of grand jury selection — just filling out the box to meet criteria — is unconstitutional,” Drake said.

Jones faces the death penalty in the January 2004 slayings of Tom and Nola Blaylock, their daughter, Georgia Mae Bradley, and his own 10-month-old daughter, Jerri Georgia Jones.

Jones also faces charges of kidnapping in the abduction of the three surviving daughters of his former girlfriend Melissa Peeler — Brittany Phelps, Brandy Jones and Tami Hope Peeler.

2005 Tour de Georgia generated $2.86 million in Rome

2005-07-18T12:42:00.000-05:00

07/18/05
Staff report

The 2005 Tour de Georgia generated a $36.2 million impact on the state’s economy, $2.86 million of that in Rome, according to an analysis released Monday.

The local impact represented more than three times the $906,753 generated by 2004’s Tour in Rome, said Lisa Smith, executive director of the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The impact represents dollars spent by the race’s spectators, including their meals, hotel rooms, shopping and local transportation.

The increase came thanks to a larger number of out-of-town visitors and the race staying in Rome for two days this year, as opposed to a single day in 2004, Smith said.

“Tour de Georgia continues to surpass many expectations. Our attendance has increased 225 percent since 2003 and our preliminary public relations analysis shows the race generated over $4 million in exposure for the state,” said Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports, which helped manage the race for the past three years.

Weapons rule up for vote today

2005-07-18T07:41:00.000-05:00

The City Commission is expected to decide whether guns and knives should be banned from courtroom.

07/18/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

As far as city attorneys can tell, there’s nothing restricting people from taking weapons into a city courtroom. That’s expected to change today.

The Rome City Commission is scheduled to vote on an ordinance at its 6:30 p.m. meeting that would prohibit most people from having a firearm, knife and other weapons in a municipal courtroom.

“I don’t know that there’s a direct prohibition against bringing weapons into a municipal courtroom,” said Assistant City Attorney David Smith. “This is a local attempt to make people comply.”

Assistant City Attorney Andy Davis agreed. “For the safety of our citizens is why the ordinance was being requested,” he said.

Several people are excluded from the ordinance, including state and local law enforcement officers, district attorneys and bailiffs.

The ordinance also reaffirms the municipal court judge’s power to keep order in the court, Davis said.

One way a judge could use that power would be to install metal detectors, Smith said, even though the ordinance doesn’t require them.

The ordinance would become effective upon its adoption.

In other matters, the commission is slated to examine properties in the College Heights Historic District, though a vote isn’t expected until August.

Harold Storey, a College Heights resident, told the City Commission in February that he and others never wanted to be in the district.

Some nine properties on the edge of the neighborhood as well as 102 Westmore Road seek removal from the historic district.

Rome’s Historic Preservation Commission originally recommended College Heights remain as is, though the full commission returned the issue to it in February after hearing from Storey.

At the HPC’s June meeting, it once again recommended the district remain unchanged.

“If they want to do something with their property,” said City Manager John Bennett of Storey and others, “they don’t want to have to ask somebody to do it.”

Merger request hits snag

2005-07-18T07:37:00.000-05:00

Senator cites concerns on keeping 2 school systems

07/18/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Trying to change state law to allow city-county consolidation without merging the school systems could create a new set of problems for Rome and Floyd County, several officials said.

Citing public sentiment against combining the schools, the Floyd County Commission decided Tuesday to seek a legislative change before scheduling a vote on government unification.

State Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome, said Friday any proposals would have to address a number of questions — including the legality of having two racially imbalanced school systems within a single governmental jurisdiction. Blacks and other minorities make up 12.8 percent of the students in the Floyd County system compared to 65.8 percent in the Rome City system, according to a Georgia Department of Education enrollment report.

“The Supreme Court has ruled against what are, in essence, separate but equal school systems,” Smith said.

County Attorney Tommy Manning raised much the same issue Tuesday when he warned commissioners that a change to state law would not guarantee U.S. Justice Department approval.

Smith also questioned how the Rome City schools would be funded if the city tax district is dissolved, and also what mechanism would keep the school system in existence if the city gives up its charter. One solution would be to redistrict all the schools, he said, but that move seems to be an unpopular option.

“Before I worked on any legislation, I would want a pretty clear signal from the governing authorities on their position and a better feel for how the citizens in the district feel,” Smith said.

Rome Mayor Ronnie Wallace said Friday it is unclear if the City Commission would support the county’s proposal.

The city agreed to revisit government consolidation in exchange for a greater share of sales-tax revenue, he said, but there are limits to its commitment.

“For over two years we’ve looked at (consolidation), and it appears it is not the will of the people,” Wallace said. “Trying to create statewide legislation now, ... we’re going beyond the Floyd County line.”

Separate city school districts operate within 19 other counties, including Bartow, Gordon, Chattooga, Walker and Cobb. Any proposed statewide legislation would likely draw close scrutiny from legislators representing those areas.

A bill tailored to Rome and Floyd County alone would spark little debate but needs the support of Smith, who is the county’s sole state senator. Members of Floyd County’s legislative delegation have agreed not to submit local legislation without the backing of at least two representatives and one senator.

State Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, said Adairsville cut costs when it consolidated its fire department with Bartow County, and he would be open to a proposal from Floyd County commissioners.

“I’ll look at anything we can do to help the taxpayers save money, if it’s in an area that makes sense,” he said.

State Rep. Paul Smith, D-Rome, said he would not oppose legislation suggested by the county if it would require a vote before any changes were adopted locally.

“Let the people decide,” he said.

The issue is likely to draw discussion at Tuesday’s meeting of the Rome-Floyd County Consolidation Task Force, set for 4 p.m. at The Forum.

Parties to celebrate ‘Potter’ release

2005-07-15T07:35:00.000-05:00

07/15/05
By Bucky Chapman/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

For those planning to get their hands on No. 6 in the Harry Potter series, you’re welcome to party while you wait.

Fans waiting for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” at Barnes and Noble or Waldenbooks in Rome will have the option to celebrate the book’s release at both venues tonight a stroke after midnight.

Kristina Wilder, community relations manager for Barnes and Noble at Riverbend Center off Turner McCall Boulevard, said she expects a huge crowd to fill the store.

“We’re going to make it as fun as possible,” Wilder said.

Staff members will start the celebration at 6 p.m. dressed as characters from the book and will give out numbered tickets to let people know in what order they will receive their books.

The tickets will also serve as a discount coupon on other books similar to the Harry Potter series.

“We also want to make available other books we think Harry Potter fans would like,” Wilder said.

Face painting, wand making and a magician will also be a part of the festivities. A free copy of the book and a poster signed by the book’s illustrator,

Mary GrandPré, will be raffled off as well.

Waldenbooks at Mount Berry Square mall will kick off its party at 9 p.m. in front of the store with balloons and streamers. Books will be handed out just after midnight, and the celebration will run until the last book is gone.

Both stores are offering discounts.

There will be other places to pick up the new release as well.

The Super Kmart Center and East and West Rome Wal-Marts will also carry the book. John Shirley, store manager of the East Rome Wal-Mart on U.S. 411, expects his store to get about 600 to 800 copies.

Grocery stores will also be in on the action. The East and West Rome Krogers will have copies for sale.

Those who plan to get the book from the Rome-Floyd County Library, 205 Riverside Parkway, will have to wait.

More than 20 people have been signed up since last year to check out J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Susan Carlson, the library’s collection development coordinator, was one of the first to reserve a copy.

“Usually I let the patrons go ahead and read them before I do, but with this particular book, I don’t think I’m going to do that,” said Carlson, who is excited about the addition to the series.

The library will have one copy for the adult department and two for the children’s department.

Mother is charged with cruelty

2005-07-15T07:33:00.000-05:00

Tamara Lynn Cope’s boyfriend was charged with teen’s murder

07/15/05
By Matt Tuck/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The mother of a 13-year-old boy who died in December was charged Thursday with felony cruelty to children in the second degree in connection with the death, police said.

Tamara Lynn Cope, 37, of 948 Haywood Valley Road, was released from the Floyd County Jail on Thursday after posting $1,250 bail, jail officials said.

Cope’s boyfriend, Bryan Edward Heath, 38, of 8 Ridgewood Drive, was charged with murder last week.

On Dec. 15, Cope left her autistic son, Andrew Charlton Hutton, at an Old Dalton Road residence with Heath, police reported.

In an interview with police, Heath told them the boy drowned after Heath left him unattended briefly in the bathtub, police said.

Cope, meanwhile, had left the home to buy marijuana, said Floyd County police investigator Mark Corbin. “She and Heath both admitted that was why she left,” he said. “Her charges are more neglect than

anything else. She put the child in a position of danger by leaving him with the guy.”

Andrew was pronounced dead at Floyd Medical Center on Dec. 15, said Coroner Barry Henderson. The GBI crime lab later called it a death by asphyxiation and declared it a homicide, Henderson added.

On July 7, Heath was arrested on warrants charging him with murder, malice murder and cruelty to children in the first degree, according to jail records.

He remained in jail Thursday with no bail set.

Corbin said Heath and Cope maintain the death was accidental.

During the autopsy, officials found numerous internal and external injuries — at various stages of healing — which Corbin said couldn’t be explained by Andrew drowning in a bathtub.

“He had a lot of injuries that ain’t been explained,” he said.

The case against Cope and Heath is related just as much to those injuries as the death itself, Corbin said.

“This was not based on just one day, but over a period of time,” he explained. “This was a fragile child, and anybody could see he needed a lot of attention and care. Right now, there are a lot of neglect issues, but some of the injuries could be intentional.”

Floyd asks state help for merger

2005-07-13T08:16:00.000-05:00

County: Government merger shouldn’t depend upon schools

07/13/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The Floyd County Commission will seek a change to the state law that apparently bars a city-county merger unless the two school systems are combined.

“Consolidation is not going to happen in Floyd County unless you get the schools separated from the government,” Commissioner Tom Bennett said.

The board decided Tuesday to ask local legislators to explore options during the 2006 Georgia General Assembly session.

Legislative action has been considered before in trying to remove the schools from the consolidation mix, but it involved working within existing state law. Bennett said a change to the law could be welcomed by other governments, such as Valdosta-Lowndes County, where consolidation referendums have failed.

Commissioners stopped short of seeking additional legislation setting a consolidation vote for November 2006, agreeing it may be premature.

“We wouldn’t close any schools because they’re all full, but people opposed to consolidation have painted it like that,” Commission Chairman Chuck Hufstetler said. “Until we get the schools separated out, I think the referendum would fail.”

Instead, board members plan to draft a resolution supporting a future vote and to ask Rome and Cave Spring officials to do the same. The issue will likely be on the agenda for the next City-County Joint Services Committee meeting, which has not yet been scheduled.

Meanwhile, the county will continue funding a $168,200 feasibility study on the consolidation of Rome and Floyd County schools. The next phases will focus on how merging school administrations, instruction and operations could affect costs and the quality of education.

“I think there will be something in there that provides a payback; eliminating duplication of services even if consolidation doesn’t happen,” Hufstetler said.

Commissioner Garry Fricks voiced concerns about the lukewarm backing from the Rome and Floyd County school boards, but he joined Hufstetler and Commissioner Jerry Jennings in the 3-to-1 vote. A deciding factor was that the study was requested by the Rome-Floyd County Consolidation Task Force.

Commissioner John Mayes was out of town Tuesday. Bennett opposed paying for the study, saying it is an education issue and not a proper expenditure of county government funds.

“We have about as much business funding a study for the Polk County water system,” Bennett said.

Permanent SPLOST committee

Also on Tuesday, commissioners agreed to set up a permanent committee of citizens to make recommendations on special purpose, local option sales tax projects.

Voters rejected a $36.5 million SPLOST package last month, but officials blamed the controversial package, not the tax. Another proposal can be put on a ballot as early as June 2006.

“Forget about why the vote failed,” Jennings said in proposing the committee. “Most people believe a 1-cent SPLOST is good for the community — if the community supports the projects.”

Commissioners plan to ask Cave Spring and Rome officials to help establish the group as a joint committee with appointees from all areas of the county.

County to discuss study, OK cable deal

2005-07-11T08:09:00.000-05:00

07/11/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Commissioner Jerry Jennings has requested time to discuss a new sales-tax package.
A new cable television contract and the continuation of a school system consolidation study are up for discussion at Tuesday’s Floyd County Commission meeting.

The commissioners hold their caucus at noon, with the regular session following at 2 p.m. in the Historic Floyd County Courthouse downtown.

Commissioner Jerry Jennings also asked for time to talk about a new special purpose, local option sales-tax package. Voters rejected a $36.5 million proposal in June, but a new offering could be presented as early as June 2006.

“We might want to do it in November (2006) instead, when we’ll have a higher turnout, but I think the time is right to start looking at projects,” Jennings said.

Meetings of the Rome-Floyd County Consolidation Task Force have been on hold until commissioners decide if they will fund the second phase of a $186,200 feasibility study on merging the two school systems. The first-phase survey indicated little support for the merger among local leaders.

The study was launched following a task force finding that consolidating the Rome and Floyd County governments would require consolidating the two school systems.

County commissioners have tried to find a way around the state law, saying their only interest is in a more efficient and frugal government.

“As a consolidated government, we would get an estimated $4 million more a year in utility taxes,” Commission Chairman Chuck Hufstetler said. “That could mean either more services or less taxes.”

Under state law, cities can collect fees from electric companies and other utility providers, but counties can charge only cable franchise fees.

Commissioners are expected to approve a new 10-year franchise agreement with Comcast of the South that will net an estimated $470,000 a year, following a public hearing at the meeting.

Perdue, challengers face first financial show-and-tell

2005-07-08T15:39:00.000-05:00

July 8, 2005
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Gov. Sonny Perdue reported more than $6.5 million in the bank for his re-election campaign on Friday in the first big financial show-and-tell for an election still 16 months away.

Perdue, the state's first Republican governor since Reconstruction, has raised $7.6 million so far, including about $4 million during the latest disclosure period, an aide said.

He is not expected to face serious opposition in the July 18 primary but two top state Democrats — Secretary of State Cathy Cox and Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor — are seeking the right to challenge him in the Nov. 7 general election.

Cox reported Friday she had raised $2.1 million during the period, with a balance in the campaign fund of $1.9 million.

``The support from across party lines and around Georgia is overwhelming,'' she said in a statement. ``It's a sign that Georgia wants new leadership and is ready for a governor who will focus on the issues that really matter in our state.''

Taylor announced that he has raised $3.3 million, including nearly $1.5 million during the latest reporting period, and has almost $3 million in the bank.

``I am honored by the widespread support the people have given me,'' he said in a statement.

But Perdue, too, laid claim to bipartisan support.

``We are humbled that so many Republicans, Democrats and independents from all parts of the state have joined Sonny and Mary's campaign at such an early stage,'' said Nick Ayers, executive director of Perdue's campaign. ``Mary'' is Mary Perdue, the governor's wife.

Schrader keeping up with Shorter

2005-07-07T06:58:00.000-05:00

The college’s former president said the school shouldn’t make “assumptions.”

07/07/05
By Marc Dadigan/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Former Shorter College president Ed Schrader, who guided the school through most of its legal conflict with the Georgia Baptist Convention, said not all the latest news from the case is negative.

More than six months into his tenure at Brenau University, Schrader says he’s been keeping up with the case.

“I am somewhat encouraged by the comments I’ve heard

from the GBC’s attorney (Walter Bush),” Schrader said Wednesday while on a business trip to New York City.

“They seem to be saying they were going to let the board of trustees deal with the accreditation issue, which would be the best way to do it.”

Last Friday, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected Shorter’s request that the court reconsider its decision that restored the GBC’s power to select the school’s trustees. In November 2002, the college dissolved into a new organization to break its ties with the GBC, saying the Baptist association’s influence was threatening its accreditation.

GBC officials have said Schrader has exaggerated the severity of the accreditation issue to justify breaking the school’s ties with the Baptist organization.

Schrader said the staff and students should be patient with the transition process Shorter now faces.

He warned against anyone prematurely leaving the school before the situation is settled.

“I would hope that people would give things time to settle and evaluate where things are going,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any reason to make assumptions about the future.”

Schrader was a key player in the school’s struggle with the GBC. He left to become the president at Brenau Jan.1, in part because he said another administrator would be more likely to resuscitate the school’s relationship with the GBC after the Supreme Court decision.

Shorter and the GBC will eventually meet before a DeKalb County Superior Court judge to negotiate how to reorganize with a GBC-selected board. Schrader said Bush’s comments that the GBC intends to elect its trustees and then stay out of the college’s business is a good sign.

He also offered his best wishes to the new board and advised that they pay careful attention to the report from SACS and mitigate any of its concerns.

“I can’t predict how SACS will react to them,” he said. “They have to be careful how they approach this problem.”

During Schrader’s tenure, the college grew tremendously, nearly doubling its student body, starting a football team and expanding its academic and international programs.

Even with the prospect of a GBC-controlled board of trustees, Schrader said he felt comfortable about the future of his legacy at the school.

Floyd readies cable TV deal

2005-07-06T08:20:00.000-05:00

A public hearing on the Comcast provisions is set for Tuesday.

07/07/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The Floyd County Commission is poised to sign a new contract with Comcast of the South that calls for more responsive customer service and the extension of cable service to some of the more rural areas of the county.

A public hearing on the provisions is set for the panel’s meeting Tuesday.

County Manager Kevin Poe said the 10-year agreement will net the county at least $4.7 million in franchise fees for use of its right of way. “That’s not adjusted for inflation and customer growth,” he said.

New in the agreement is a provision requiring Comcast to extend service to less populous areas, if there is a density of at least 28 homes per mile. Poe said the decision rests solely with the company under the current agreement.

“They’re not going to run a line a mile just to serve a few customers,” Poe said. “But we felt we needed to include some reasonable requirements related to the future expansion of their service.”

Customer service also is addressed with a set of standards covering property disruption, service appointments, outages, complaints and customer credits. The agreement provides for damages if Comcast fails to meet the standards, and the company must post a $10,000 performance bond.

Rates and programming are essentially left up to the company. “Those are the biggest complaints we get, but the county doesn’t have the right to regulate them,” Poe said.

The local franchising authority may regulate the basic tier of services, Poe said, but the company sets the rates on the other tiers.

A check of Comcast’s offerings on its Web site shows its rates for Floyd, Gordon and other counties in the Rome service area compare favorably with what the company charges others nearby.

The basic cable rate for Comcast of Rome customers is $9.71 a month, while Bartow County residents pay $14.90 a month to Comcast of Cobb.

Customers in Walker and Dade counties fall under the Comcast of Chattanooga service area and are not offered a basic rate. Their “preferred basic” package is $46.50 a month, compared with $44.99 from Comcast of Cobb and $43.99 from Comcast of Rome.

Floyd County’s new franchise agreement adds a second public access channel for local government or education programming. It also requires Comcast to provide free service to any county building, including the schools, if within 150 feet of cable lines.

Boards: Study not our issue

2005-07-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

School boards respond to consolidation study queries

07/07/05
By Marc Dadigan, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Both local school boards believe the fate of a $168,200 school consolidation feasibility study isn’t any of their business.

That was the sentiment expressed in a pair of concise and nearly identical responses the Rome and Floyd County school boards sent to the Floyd County Commission last week.

Thinking the schools might benefit from the data of a finished study, commissioners asked the school boards to weigh in on the issue. The commissioners started to doubt the need for the study after the $25,000 first phase concluded there was little community support for a school consolidation referendum.

“Our feeling was that it’s not our place to advise whether or not they should fund the study,” said Floyd County Board Chairman George Bevels. “I do think that the feelings of the two boards are pretty much the same on this.”

The commission’s original letter to the school boards asked three questions:

1. Would the boards use the study as a merging blueprint if consolidation was approved by voters?

2. Would the boards use the study in any future talks related to merging the two systems?

3. Would the boards use the study to determine ways the systems could merge certain common functions?

In their response to the first question, the school boards said a consolidated board would have to be formed after a successful referendum. Only that newly formed board could decide how to use the study.

For the second question, the school boards answered no, saying future consolidation talks should be handled by the Consolidation Task Force.

“It’s a matter of responsibility,” said Judy Sims, chairman of the Rome school board. “We have tried to be receptive to the process, but we’re not charged with doing many of the duties that the letter mentioned.”

Both boards also said they would be open to new ways of merging some services, but Rome board member Jim Greer said combining educational services isn’t analogous to merging sewer systems.

“I think that both superintendents are very open to working together, but we have different philosophies, different clientele,” he said. “We have different calendars, different class schedules, different approaches.”

Chuck Hufstetler, County Commission chairman, said he would have liked more depth to the school boards’ replies but added they are being understandably cautious.

“It sounded like if a study showed areas of duplicate services, they would be open to that,” he said. “I think it was needed for all five commissioners before they vote.”

The commission will vote whether to continue the study at its meeting next Tuesday.

A decision to abandon the study could damage the future of government consolidation as well, as state law would require a school merger to coincide with a merger of county and city governments.

COUNTY COMMISSION QUESTIONS AND SCHOOL BOARD ANSWERS

1. Would Rome City Schools/Floyd County Board of Education use the study as a blueprint for merging the two systems if the consolidation issue is passed by voters?

Rome BOE: The decision to use the study as a blueprint would be decided by a newly consolidated Board of Education.

Floyd BOE: A consolidated Board of Education would have a large number of factors to consider and items to review relative to the consolidation of the two school systems. The consideration of this study would be decided pursuant to the wishes of a consolidated Board of Education.

2. Would Rome City Schools/Floyd County Board of Education use the study information in any future talks related to merging the two school systems?

Rome BOE: Discussions regarding the consolidation of the two systems would most likely be conducted by a Consolidation Task Force. The Task Force would be responsible for the collection and analysis of information regarding consolidation.

Floyd BOE: It is likely that future consolidation discussions would be guided by a Citizen’s Committee/Task Force, just as is the case with the current discussions. The Task Force would make all determinations regarding future consolidations discussions.

3. Would Rome City Schools/Floyd County Board of Educations use the study to determine ways in which the two systems could possibly merge certain common functions such as food services, transportation, and facilities management in an effort to be more cost efficient and effective in providing these services?

Rome BOE: Rome City Schools and Floyd County Schools currently share some services. Rome City Schools provides summer school opportunities for Floyd County high school students that need to make up course work. Floyd County Schools offers a driver education program to Rome High School students each summer.

The Rome Board of Education is committed to offering the best educational opportunities for our students. If there is a way to reduce operational costs for food service, transportation, or facilities management without losing the responsiveness and/or the quality of services, we would certainly entertain that discussion.

Floyd BOE: As you probably are aware, the Floyd County Board of Education and Rome City Board of Education already “merge” some services. For example, this summer the Floyd County Board of Education is providing Drivers Education to students in both systems and the Rome City Board of Education is providing High School Summer School to students in both systems. The Floyd County Board of Education is consistently looking for ways to improve services and reduce costs. The Floyd County Board of Education would be interested in and open to considering suggestions or proposals from any creditable source.

City to vote on wrecker fee increases

2005-07-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

Towing companies have requested changes in towing and storage prices.

07/05/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

The price of an automobile accident is about to go up.

The Rome City Commission is poised to adopt a resolution at its 6:30 meeting tonight that will raise towing costs. The change, requested by local wrecker companies, will increase the price of services ranging from towing vehicles to daily storage.

“We didn’t do everything the wrecker companies wanted, but we did most of it,” City Manager John Bennett said. “This only affects those wrecker calls that go through 911.”

Pickup of a normal-sized vehicle will rise to $75 from $60 during the day and $65 at night. Daily storage fees are slated to rise to $14 a day from $12 a day.

“The cost of doing business for them has gone up significantly over the past few years,” Bennett said.

The last time a rate increase occurred was about five years ago. The ordinance has been in effect for decades.

Before the ordinance’s creation, wreckers reportedly would listen to the police scanner, racing off to be the first on the scene at a wreck.

The city’s towing-service ordinance changed that, putting wrecker companies on a rotation.

“The main thing this does, it’s a fair way to distribute the business,” Bennett said. “There’s a system, and everyone lives with it.”

The time limit wreckers have to get to an accident is also up for change, though the commission isn’t expected to vote on it until its July 18 meeting.

The ordinance currently requires wreckers to reach a wreck in 20 minutes. The proposed change will increase it to 30 minutes.

Bennett said a wrecker company would have to consistently miss the 30-minute deadline before being taken off the rotation list.

In other matters, the commission is expected to hear about the city’s 2004 comprehensive annual financial report tonight.

“(The auditor) had no real problems,” Bennett said. “The only real issue to deal with, and we’ve dealt with it, is Community Development fixed assets.”

Examples of fixed assets are property or equipment.

When fixed assets are bought with federal grant money, they must be accounted for in a special manner. The assets hadn’t been placed on the proper list quickly enough, Bennett said.

Judges consider drug court

2005-07-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

Hope Ministry asks for help from $245,000 frozen for possible court

07/05/05
By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

During the past 16 months, judges of the Floyd County Superior Court have earmarked more than $245,000 in fines to start a new drug treatment court.

Chief Judge Walter J. Matthews said they are still gathering data on similar courts in other jurisdictions but could be ready next year with a proposal for the Floyd County Commission.

“We’re still trying to decide if we want to establish one, but we don’t want to spend all that money and then ask the county for everything,” Matthews said.

The money comes from add-on fines paid into a County Drug Abuse Treatment and Education fund authorized by state law. County commissioners can tap a DATE fund to pay for any drug treatment or education program, but Matthews signed a court order freezing the Floyd County fund in February 2004.

Last week the County Commission suggested Hope Ministry ask Matthews to release some of the money for its parolee and probationer community re-entry program. Officials with the volunteer ministry sought $10,000 from the commission to help fund its rehabilitative services.

Commissioners also said some of Sheriff Tim Burkhalter’s plans to upgrade security in the courthouse might be funded with DATE money. Burkhalter said he wants to buy a new X-ray machine, estimated at $30,000, and staff the entrance with armed guards.

Matthews said Friday that security improvements are not eligible for DATE funding under state law. The Hope Ministry program is, and he said he would consider it, but the judges are leery of opening the floodgates.

“I’m not saying we wouldn’t help, but we don’t want to let that money dribble away,” Matthews said. “Funds are hard to come by (for a drug court), and we want to be fiscally responsible.”

Drug treatment courts are operating in several circuits, including Cobb County, Brunswick, Macon, Gainesville and Dalton. They typically are reserved for first-time drug offenders not charged with other serious crimes.

Instead of prison, offenders are sentenced to treatment, group programs, work or job training, drug testing several times a week and a weekly appearance before the drug court judge.

“They’re intended to catch people who might benefit from rehabilitation and divert them from the system, as long as they comply with pretty strict requirements,” Matthews said.

The testing, intensive attention and additional judge would cost more than the $245,436.53 in the fund as of June 28, but Matthews said a drug court could benefit the county in the long run. There are several ways the program could be tailored to local needs, he said, and the judges are monitoring the effectiveness of existing courts before they decide whether to seek the support of the County Commission.

Shorter out of legal options

2005-07-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

07/01/05
By Marc Dadigan, Rome News-Tribune

Shorter College’s final legal attempt to free itself from the control of the Georgia Baptist Convention has failed.

The Georgia Supreme Court rejected today an motion from the college to change justices' ruling that restored the GBC’s power to choose the college’s board of trustees.

Shorter attorneys had filed a motion for reconsideration with the court June 7 in hopes of reversing the 4-3 decision that the college broke corporate dissolution law when it reorganized in an attempt to severe its ties with the GBC . “We knew that for t court to change its mind, that was going to be a big hurdle,” said Shorter President Harold Newman. With the court’s decision final, Shorter and the GBC will eventually meet before a DeKalb Superior Court judge to discuss the terms of returning to the old model of GBC selecting trustees.

The following is the official response from Shorter College

STATEMENT OF OUTGOING SHORTER TRUSTEE CHAIRMAN Shorter College has come a long way from its modest beginnings 132 years ago. It has been fortunate to have trustees, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who have been dedicated stewards of the College’s educational and financial well-being.

Today, Shorter College is at a crossroads. And, its faculty, staff and students are in the intersection. If there has ever been a time when the Shorter family needs to keep its perspective, it is now.

Briefly, the Georgia Supreme Court by a 4 to 3 vote has ruled improper the Shorter College dissolution which was central to its trustees’ effort to bring the college outside of the control of the Georgia Baptist Convention (GBC). This ruling became final today. The Shorter dissolution was in response to the position of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). SACS, as part of an accreditation review, questioned whether under the fifty year old version of the Shorter College charter the Shorter trustees met the independence requirements of SACS accreditation standards.

Ours has been a long fought battle in the courts. We have been aided by some of the best legal minds available. I single out for special thanks former Shorter President Ed Schraeder for his devotion to this cause and former Governor Roy Barnes for his uncompensated vital assistance in the later stages of the case.

We must now face the fact that we have lost the court struggle. Complete, absolute control of Shorter College will shortly be in the hands of new trustees selected by the GBC. The leadership of the GBC has on numerous occasions in the courts taken the position that Shorter really did not really have an accreditation problem with SACS. We will soon see whose position is valid.

To the Shorter faculty and staff, I do not need to remind you that you need to brace yourselves for the likelihood of difficult days ahead. I thank you for your steadfast devotion to Shorter despite considerable personal sacrifice. Be open minded in dealing with the new management. Your support system of Shorter Alumni and former trustees will not cease because of the change in control.

To the new trustees elected by the Georgia Baptist Convention and Shorter’s likely new President, Rev. Nelson Price, I say that you have my good wishes as you undertake to run a wonderful private, Christian college during a difficult time. You are being given control of a Shorter that shows more promise than at any time in her long history. I will remind you, however, that with your new power comes both responsibility and liability. Be prudent.

I must also be candid with present and past Shorter trustees. After the change in control, there will not be opportunities of effective service for many who have dedicated much of their lives to this small college. Though less significant, my family’s involvement with Shorter would also appear to be at an end. I am sure I await new challenges elsewhere in my Christian pilgrimage.

Gary F. Eubanks July 1, 2005

McChord forced to resign

2005-07-01T07:55:00.000-05:00

07/01/05
By Marc Dadigan, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

CAVE SPRING — When Winfield McChord came out of retirement and first arrived at the Georgia School for the Deaf, he had no shortage of plans for the boarding school nestled on the edge of Cave Spring.

Among his many ideas were goals to expand the after-school activities, to boost enrollment and to create a program for students with behavioral disorders.

But after 19 months as GSD’s superintendent, McChord’s vision has been derailed.

He and six other educators at the state-run school were forced to resign earlier this month by the Georgia Department of Education, motivated by what McChord would only describe as “a conflict in philosophy.”

During a Wednesday interview, McChord spoke softly but still managed to smile even though he is leaving GSD with much left on the table.

“It’s a significant change, all the shakers and movers are in this group,” he said. “This is a new experience for me. I’m trying to learn and benefit from it.”

On June 13, three days after the school’s graduation, state officials arrived on campus to speak to a teacher about a disciplinary matter, McChord said. After finishing with the teacher, they brought in McChord and the six other GSD employees, asking for their resignations one by one.

Resigning with McChord were Paulette Bragg, director of instruction; Linda Godsey, director of student services; and four teachers: John Groth, Mabel Reid, Louise Osborne and Annie Shields. Those educators represent a large chunk of the staff for a school of about 100 students.

Cave Spring Mayor Rob Ware said Thursday he didn’t know much about the resignations but is saddened to see McChord leave.

“His understanding of deaf people is without question,” said Ware. “The school was affected in a positive way in the short time that he was there.”

GDOE Public Information Officer Dana Tofig said the state Board of Education had accepted the resignations but added he couldn’t comment further on personnel matters. The state will set up an as of yet undetermined interim leadership before finding a full-time replacement for McChord, he said.

The resignations were effective immediately, but McChord, who lives on campus, said he has until July 15 to clear out his office and move on.

“It’s only natural to have regret when you have dreams for something but you have to leave before you even get to take the first or second step,” he said.

Even though McChord had a truncated tenure he has left his imprint on GSD. He started the practice of bussing out-of-town students home every weekend, and last month the resurrected drama club staged its first public performance in decades, a sign language version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Rome resident Diane Rose has sent her daughter Kim to GSD for several years, and though she doesn’t know McChord personally, she lauded the school for its efforts.

“It’s the best thing in this area for deaf kids,” she said. “It just doesn’t work as well in the public schools when you have an interpreter following them around everywhere. They still have a lot of fine teachers.”

At a time when the trend is to integrate special education students into regular classrooms as much as possible, GSD remains an exception. Whereas deaf students might find it difficult to follow along in class or participate in sports at regular schools, deaf schools are one of the few places where they can communicate with every teacher and classmate.

GSD was founded in 1846, but its role in deaf education in the state declined significantly in 1971 with the opening of the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston. Up until that point, GSD had enrolled as many as 700 children from around the state.

Because the Atlanta school isn’t a boarding school, McChord said it’s important for GSD to provide the dormitory option, which offers more chances for socialization and activities.

Despite the state’s reservations about his work, McChord said he is optimistic the new administration will maintain what he started at GSD.

“I think regardless of philosophy, a new superintendent with the endorsement of the state will do well,” he said. “At least that’s my fervent hope.”

Though he can hear, McChord, 64, was born to deaf parents and was raised in Kentucky. He has presided over several renowned schools for the deaf around the world, including 20 years at the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Conn.

He came to GSD after a five-year period in which he suffered the deaths of his wife and parents.

“Even though it’s only been 19 months, you do lay down roots,” he said. “It’s going to be difficult to leave.”

Cost of health care going up Friday for a half million Georgians

2005-06-30T14:40:00.000-05:00

6/30/2005
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — The cost of health care for more than a half million Georgians will surge sharply upward Friday when new rules for the state health benefit plan take effect, among them a surcharge for smokers and a whopping $100 copayment for certain types of drugs.

State officials argue the aggressive cost-cutting rules for the State Health Benefit Plan are necessary to offset a projected $446 million deficit. The plan covers some 650,000 state employees, teachers, their dependents and retirees.

State employees, many drawn to low-paying government jobs at a time health benefits were good, say it's another in a series of pocketbook blows that weakens their morale and exposes them to new health risks by forcing them to choose cheaper drugs that may not be as effective.

Members of the plan are being hit with a triple whammy of premium increases, surcharges and hikes in their required copayments.

For the state's most popular health care plan, the preferred provider option, premiums are rising an average 9.5 percent. For an individual, the cost will increase from $64.96 per month to $71.14. Family coverage will increase from $198.32 monthly to $217.16.

Smokers will be hit with a $40 per month surcharge, and there will be an extra $30 per month fee for any member of the plan whose working spouse could qualify for benefits under his or her private employer's plan but chooses to enroll in the state plan.

And then there are the new copayments for drugs, designed to steer employees to the less expensive generic equivalents.

For generic drugs, the copayment remains $10. For the state's preferred list of brand drugs, the copayment is increasing from $25 last year to $30 effective Friday. For nonpreferred brand drugs — among them widely advertised products such as Zoloft and Zyrtec — the copayment will be $100.

Last year, nonpreferred brand drugs cost $40 for basic plan members while those in another level of membership benefits paid 20 percent of the cost, up to $100, for nonpreferred brand drugs.

Raymond Wozniak, 57, a Department of Corrections employee in Atlanta, said he won't be affected by the smoking or spouse surcharges but fears the increased cost of copayments.

``As a former nurse, I can say that generic drugs could vary as much as 10 percent in strength from brand name drugs. That's one reason they're cheaper. When we're being forced to take generic drugs because of our increasing personal budget pinch, we're playing roulette with our health,'' he said.

Pat Pickett, 54, a school librarian in Berrien County undergoing treatment for cancer, said her brand name medicine costs $235 a month and fears there may not be a generic substitute for it.

The new $100 copay ``could really hurt a lot of people,'' she said.

Too, Pickett said she fears teachers will find their 2 percent raises this year more than eaten up by increased health care costs, and that paraprofessionals will simply leave the classroom.

``They make such a small salary now. One reason we can get such qualified people is for the health care. Now they may start looking other places,'' she said.

State Rep. Mickey Channell, D-Greensboro, who also will feel the pinch because he is a member of the state health plan, says it's a hard issue.

``I certainly wish some of the things we're quite so onerous. It's going to work a hardship on certain state employees. But where we find ourselves as a state is that the cost of medical inflation goes up faster than the normal rate of inflation. Financially, we've just got to deal with it. We don't have a choice,'' he said.

Channell's already gotten his doctor to give him a new prescription for cholesterol. One he previously was taking, heavily advertised on television, would have cost him a $100 copayment.

The Department of Community Health oversees the state plan. Commissioner Tim Burgess said that with double-digit inflation rates in the cost of health care, ``these benefit changes as well as increases in premiums and copays are necessary to maintain the financial viability of the plan for future years.''

Smith removes judge request

2005-06-30T07:38:00.000-05:00

A May letter to Gov. Perdue noted that the state senator would be eligible for a new post in October

06/30/05
By Diane Wagner/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

State Sen. Preston Smith said Wednesday he expects to run for a third term in 2006, despite a May 10 letter to the governor in which he expressed interest in a judicial appointment.

The Rome Republican said his missive to Gov. Sonny Perdue was meant to provide “context” for a meeting he was seeking to discuss his future. Perdue encouraged him to remain in the Georgia General Assembly, Smith said.

“As a result of our conversation, I’m comfortable that I’m in the right place right now,” he said.

“The issue went away within a couple of days of handing him that letter.”

The letter was obtained from the governor’s office under the Georgia Open Records Act. In it Smith, an attorney, noted that he would be eligible in October for one of two vacancies on the State Board of Workers Compensation. The three directors serve as appellate administrative law judges.

“As you know from our discussion last year, I view my time in the legislature as somewhat limited,” Smith wrote. “And although I have truly appreciated the honor of serving, I have begun evaluating the best way for me to continue serving in a more stable environment.”

He also mentioned a new Superior Court judgeship in the Cherokee Judicial District that he could fill if he moved to Bartow or Gordon county. Smith sponsored a Senate bill similar to the House bill that created the seat during the 2005 session.

On Wednesday Smith said his talks with Perdue last year, and in May, stemmed from frustration with partisan politics and the difficulty of balancing his legislative duties with his full-time legal career.

“I wanted to seek advice from the governor because he’s had experience,” Smith said. “He encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing. He felt I was important in the legislature as someone that people from both parties sought counsel from.”

Perdue’s spokesman Shane Hix said a decision on the Workers Comp judgeships could come as early as this week. Hix was unable to provide the short list of candidates late Wednesday but said he does not think Smith was considered.

“I think the governor really likes him where he is,” Hix said.

The Judicial Nominating Committee will likely meet later this summer to recommend candidates to the Cherokee Circuit bench, he said

Smith has risen quickly within the party ranks, becoming a floor leader for the governor during his freshman year as senator. He was highly visible this session, pushing through a tort reform package and serving as an officer of several powerful committees. However, he shied away from seeking a leadership position when the Republicans gained a majority in the Senate.

“I decided it didn’t fit me,” Smith said. “I’m not comfortable with being a partisan leader because I don’t always follow the line. I base my decisions on what people in my district would want.”

Although he has been named as a possible candidate for attorney general or lieutenant governor, Smith said he is interested in the judicial branch of government. His letter to Perdue mentions preparations for a future on the Georgia Court of Appeals or Supreme Court.

For the time being, however, Smith said he wants to continue his work in the legislature.

“The letter was never about stopping in the middle of the term, but more about the future,” he said. “My expectation is that I will complete this term and run for re-election.”

SEN. SMITH’S LETTER TO GOV. PERDUE

The following is the text of a letter Sen. Preston Smith sent to Gov. Sonny Perdue on May 10.

Dear Governor Perdue:

I wanted to express my appreciation for another successful year of your administration. It has been a great honor to serve with you and I look forward to many other opportunities to work together.

I am writing to express my interest in an appointment to a judgeship for which I would become eligible to serve on, or after, October 29th of this year. There are two vacancies which are coming available this year as Directors on the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, who serve as appellate administrative law judges. Their four year terms are scheduled to expire this year and, as I understand it, the statute calls for them to continue serving until they are reappointed or replaced with a successor.

As you know from our discussion last year, I view my time in the legislature as somewhat limited. And although I have truly appreciated the honor of serving, I have begun evaluating the best way for me to continue serving in a more stable environment. As you know, balancing legislative responsibilities with a separate full-time career is difficult. I would love to have an opportunity some day to serve as an appellate judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals or Supreme Court and I know that judicial experience would help to prepare me. Staying close to home as a Superior Court Judge in the Rome Judicial Circuit would be a most attractive option and I expect that one of those positions will open up within the next few years.

However, in the interim, the best alternative may be serving as a Director on the State Board of Workers’ Compensation. There is also a Superior Court Judgeship which has just been created for the Cherokee Judicial District (covering the Bartow and Gordon county portion of my Senate district) for which I believe I would be eligible in October if I moved my residence from Floyd County.

I would very much like to discuss this possibility and seek your advice and appointment to this position. Thank you again for all that you have done to lead our great state. I recognize how busy you are, but if you have a few minutes to speak with me about this I would sincerely appreciate it.

Sincerely, Preston W. Smith

State’s smoking starts Friday

2005-06-30T07:33:00.000-05:00

While some exemptions will exist, most businesses will be entirely “no smoking.”

06/30/05
By Alan Riquelmy/Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Ashtrays line the counter of the Huddle House on U.S. 411. On Friday, they should all be empty.

The reason for their disappearance is a state law that creates numerous restrictions on smoking. Taking effect Friday, the law restricts lighting up in most public buildings with only a few exceptions.

“On July 1, we become smoke free,” said Huddle House general manager Lynne Walker. “I believe people are still going to come here, and it’s motivated a lot of us to quit smoking.”

Huddle House is just one of many establishments affected by the new law, which also includes bowling alleys, pool halls and enclosed places of employment, said Assistant City Attorney David Smith.

The ban is just fine with John Matthews, who shared a meal with Richard RuBright at Rome’s Huddle House Wednesday. Both are nonsmokers.

“I love it,” Matthews said. “We’re sitting here trying to eat, and I hate the smell of smoke. I don’t think I should have to breathe other people’s smoke while I eat.”

RuBright said he neither favored nor opposed the smoking ban, though he added that if the state imposed the law, alternatives should be provided.

Jerry Watwood, who was smoking Wednesday at the Huddle House, said he won’t be returning to the establishment if he can’t light up.

Several exemptions to the ban do exist. Private residences, hotel rooms, retail tobacco stores, long-term care facilities, outdoor areas in places of employment, smoking areas in international airports, manufacturers, importers or wholesalers of tobacco products, private and semiprivate rooms in health care facilities, bars and restaurants that only allow those older than 17 and convention meeting rooms, as long as specific requirements are met.

Most businesses such as restaurants, though, fall squarely in the “no smoking” category.

“We’re just going to comply with the rules,” said Charnae Knight, public relations specialist with Waffle House. “We’ve already informed our staff of the new law. This is nothing new to us. We don’t feel that it will affect our business.”

Sean McCooey, co-owner of Jefferson’s, predicted his business won’t be affected negatively from the smoking ban.

Jefferson’s is currently non-smoking through the day, changing to smoking at 8 p.m.

A city of Rome ordinance requires businesses to designate themselves smoking, nonsmoking or dual. Jefferson’s chose to switch back and forth each day — a change that stops come Friday.

“Now, we’re just going to cut it out completely,” McCooey said. “We have so many families that still come in at night. I’m not going to prohibit somebody from coming in.”

Jefferson’s could conceivably be a smoking business if only those 17 and older were allowed inside and it had the proper signage.

Smith said he expects the legality of switching from a nonsmoking to a smoking establishment during certain times of the day to be decided by the courts.

“Personally, I don’t think that’s what the law intended, but I don’t think it would prohibit it,” Smith said. “I am sure there would be some debate about that issue.”

While some portions of Rome’s smoking ordinance effectively become void Friday, such as businesses declaring themselves smoking or nonsmoking, other parts stay intact. Smokers must still remain at least 25 feet from a public entrance to a nonsmoking building.

Romans agree with president

2005-06-29T07:46:00.000-05:00

Bush: U.S. should stay in Iraq until country stabilized

06/29/05
From staff, AP reports

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — As President George W. Bush tried to reassure the nation about the United States’ role in Iraq on Tuesday, his comments fell on the appreciative ears of a number of Floyd County’s military families.

During his speech, the President said that setting a timetable for leaving Iraq would send the wrong message to the American and Iraqi troops and the insurgents. “We will stay in the fight until the fight is won,” he said to a resounding applause.

“I hope they’ll be out of there as soon as they can be, but not until things are more stabilized over there,” said Rome’s John William Davis. “I agree with what the president said; we don’t want to see those young people’s lives wasted because we pulled out too soon.”

Davis’ son, John Robert Davis, was medically discharged from the Marines in February after spending much of his time in Afghanistan. His nephew, Rockmart’s Clay Osborne, with the Army’s First Infantry, is currently in Baghdad.

Debora Boyer of Cave Spring, whose husband, Army Staff Sgt. Phillip Boyer, has been in Iraq since September, also agreed with Bush’s call to stay the course. “I think this sent a good message to my husband and other troops, and those of us at home,” Boyer said. “If we want to have freedom here, it takes people like my husband and the other men and women to fight over there.”

Davis, who served in the Air Force from 1972-76, said a timetable is not needed in Iraq. “What the president is doing is best for the conflict,” he said. “I think a lot of people see the news reporting young men and women being killed, and so they’re thinking more with their hearts than their minds.”

The problem, he said, is the situation changes daily because of the number of insurgents moving into Iraq from other countries, making it impossible to set a pull-out date. “Just like President Bush said, when you set a date, the enemy simply waits you out. If we don’t stop it there, they’ll be knocking on our doors again,” Davis said.

Boyer said a timetable can’t be set for establishing the Iraqi government. “You can’t set a time frame on training the Iraqi soldiers, at least in my opinion. We need to stay need to stay where we’re needed until they get their government ready to take over,” she said.

President Bush on Tuesday appealed for the nation’s patience for difficult and dangerous work ahead in Iraq, rejecting calls either for a timetable for withdrawal or sending more troops to battle the enemy.

“Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead in this fight,” Bush said. “And sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever.”

He also said Iraqis must be reassured that “America will not leave before the job is done.”

In an evening address from an Army base that has 9,300 troops in Iraq, Bush acknowledged the toll of the 27-month-old war. At the same time, he aimed to convince skeptical Americans that his “clear path forward” to victory needs only time — not any changes — to be successful.

“Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed. Every picture is horrifying and the suffering is real,” Bush said.

Bush said he knows Americans are questioning whether the heavy sacrifices in Iraq — more than 1,700 Americans dead — are worth it. “It is worth it, and it is vital to the future security of our country,” he said.

He announced new steps the military is taking to prepare Iraqi security forces to take over the anti-insurgency battle: conducting operations together with Iraqi units, embedding U.S. transition teams inside Iraqi units and intensive management training inside the Iraqi Defense and Interior ministries.

“As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga, said after visiting Guantanamo Bay and attending a Saturday funeral for a Georgia soldier killed in Iraq, he feels the U.S. must stay the course. “What we’re doing in Iraq is right. It’s not only right morally, but it’s right for the future of peace and freedom and democracy,” Isakson said.

Bush said Iraq has become the central front in the war on terror. Fighters have been captured from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and other nations, he said.

He described the insurgents in raw terms, calling them “ruthless killers” who commit “savage acts of violence” on innocents. He said the terrorists will not shake U.S. resolve in Iraq or elsewhere. “The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat — and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins.”

“The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of Sept. 11 — if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like Zarqawi and if we yield the future of the Middle East to men like bin Laden.” He referred to fugitive terror leaders Osama bin Laden, whom the United States holds responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks; and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian responsible for scores of attacks in Iraq.

“For the sake of our nation’s security, this will not happen on my watch,” Bush said.

The speech was a tricky balancing act for the president, believed necessary by White House advisers who have seen dozens of deadly insurgent attacks each day eat into Americans’ support for the war — and for the president — and increase discomfort among even Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Democrats and other critics said the country needs more specifics.

“We just don’t have a clue what the criteria for success is,” said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a Vietnam combat veteran. “People are still willing to give the president time if he would just level with them. ... You can’t just present a rosy scenario as if everything is going to be alright.”

But Bush said that significant progress has been made, while much work remains. “The new Iraqi security forces are proving their courage every day,” Bush said. He said more than 2,000 have been killed.

Bush said setting a timetable for withdrawing 135,000 American troops would be “a serious mistake” that could demoralize Iraqis and American troops and embolden the enemy. He also rejected calls by some to send more troops to Iraq, saying it could discourage Iraqis from moving as quickly as possible to take over the security of their country.

Instead, he argued for maintaining his present three-pronged strategy: hunting down insurgents, equipping Iraqi security forces to take over the anti-insurgency fight and helping Iraqi political leaders in the transition to a permanent democratic government.

Supreme Court strikes down Ten Commandments

2005-06-27T09:16:00.000-05:00

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott speaks near a granite slab bearing the Ten Commandments on the Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas in this Oct. 12, 2004 file photo. (AP)

06/27/05
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A split Supreme Court struck down Ten Commandments displays in courthouses Monday, ruling that two exhibits in Kentucky cross the line between separation of church and state because they promote a religious message.

City seeks a parking solution

2005-06-26T07:35:00.000-05:00

06/26/05
By Alan Riquelmy, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer

Drive down Broad Street on any given weekday, and you’ll be hard pressed to find an empty space right where you want it.

That doesn’t mean spaces aren’t available, according to a $15,000 study by Walker Parking Consultants. As long as there isn’t a special event going on, you just have to be willing to walk.

“The study says that most of the time there’s enough spaces, but they’re not where people want to park, and they’re not free,” said City Manager John Bennett. “We’ve got enough spaces, but the way they’re managed, people don’t want to use them.”

Downtown has 337 on-street parking spaces, with 246 of them on Broad Street. Those spaces are free for two hours during the day, while the 705 spaces in both the Fourth Avenue parking deck and Law Enforcement deck cost $3 Monday to Friday.

That translates to some 2,700 downtown employees in addition to numerous shoppers fighting for two-hour, free parking during the week.

“We don’t have 2,700 free parking spaces for employees plus parking for the public, especially when special events are going on,” said Ann Arnold, Rome’s Downtown Development Authority director.

Around 2,000 spaces exist across downtown when private and public lots are included, as well as on-street parking.

Parking meters aren’t the answer, Arnold said, since downtown businesses must compete with strip centers and Mount Berry Square — stores with free parking.

“Am I going to choose to go downtown and pay?” Arnold questioned. “Probably not. It’s certainly not that way in Atlanta, but you know what? We’re not Atlanta.”

Bennett doesn’t oppose meters, though he emphasized that downtown business owners need a say in the matter.

Arnold said she believes it’s the government’s responsibility to provide public parking, though it falls on business owners to tell their employees not to park on Broad Street.

“If you go to Wal-Mart, employees don’t park in the best spaces. They park along the edges. We really need to look to the property and business owners to encourage their employees to park away from the primary parking spaces.”

The search for (free) downtown parking

A city ordinance states a two-hour parking limit exists downtown from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, though Saturday parking is enforced only twice a month.

Moving a car from one spot to another won’t evade a ticket. Rome law is specific, noting the two-hour limit doesn’t have to be consecutive.

According to Arnold, parking enforcement officer Luke Motes can’t tell when a vehicle has left and returned. However, the city has occasionally voided tickets when someone explains they left downtown and returned.

“That’s probably one of the only flaws in the program — not knowing when they came and went,” Arnold said. “We have to rely on the public for their honesty. In the case of an error on our part, we’re certainly going to void a ticket.”

First Avenue and Riverside Parkway form the west and east boundaries of downtown, respectively. The Oostanaula River forms the north boundary, and the south boundary falls on First Street.

The city manages three lots — the Midtown Transit Station, its annex behind The Harvest Moon Café and the First Baptist Church parking lot. Spaces can be leased for $20 each month.

City-managed lots, as well as two-hour on-street parking, are patrolled by Motes.

Parking at the county’s Fourth Avenue parking deck and Law Enforcement deck — 705 spaces — is available for $23 each month.

The Forum civic center also leases 12 of its 148 spaces. The lot is supposed to be enforced by guard gates, though the gates are usually unused — and parking is free — because of mechanical problems.

Parking in the lot is $2 per hour or $5 per day. Spaces at The Forum cost $23 monthly to rent.

While the leased parking lots are reserved for paying customers, Arnold advised downtown visitors to use the areas after workers go home for the day and on weekends, when they aren’t being used. “After hours, anybody can park there,” she said.

Downtown parking problems aren’t limited to Rome. Athens-Clarke County has its own share of difficulties, having just more than 100,000 people living in the consolidated municipality.

“Our problem is that The University of Georgia is adjacent to downtown,” said Sandi Turner, public information officer.

The city’s downtown spaces are metered, though parking officers patrol the area as well. The one- and two-hour limits are enforced Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The concept, Turner said, is to free up spaces for new cars throughout the day. The government prohibits putting more change in a meter after your time is up and will issue a ticket if you’re caught by an officer.

Penalties range from $3 to $5.

A public parking deck does sit downtown, though only the first hour is free.

“There’s not enough parking downtown,” Turner said. “They’re talking about building another deck, but even then that deck will fill immediately and we’ll need another. The thing people complain the most about is parking.”

Valdosta, a city of some 43,000, also has a parking problem — or at least the belief that there’s one.

“In any community, there’s always a parking perception problem,” said Niki Knox, Main Street director for Valdosta.

Valdosta’s downtown has two-hour, on-street parking from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, though unlike Rome a car may leave and return without receiving a ticket.

A lone parking officer patrols downtown, much like Rome, ticketing cars that exceed the two-hour limit.

“You have to do what works for your community,” Knox said. “What works in one community may not work for another. We’re about making people aware of where parking is and where they need to go.”

Many questions, some answers

Informing locals and visitors alike about where parking is available in downtown Rome is one fix that city and county officials are examining.

Rome and Floyd County are poised to split a $26,250 contract for an exterior signage system design and wayfinding master plan.

In other words, it is a study that will detail what kind of signs should exist downtown and where they should be.

“If you’re new to the community, and you’ve got to buy a tag, where do you go?” County Manager Kevin Poe rhetorically questioned. “The signs would let people know what building’s what.”

Bennett noted several county buildings are spread across downtown. The County Administration Building, which houses Poe’s office, the county finance department and the public defender’s office, is in the old courthouse on Fourth Avenue. The new courthouse next to The Forum contains magistrate and superior courts. The historic courthouse, just next door, holds the tax assessor’s office as well as Floyd County Commission chambers.

“It’s intended to define the buildings,” Bennett said of future signage. “Where the county is now (on East Fourth Avenue), some people still call it the old post office. It’s really the County Administration Building. We’ve got the same problem with the Carnegie Building. You say the old library, local people know what you’re talking about.”

Signs for drivers are also in the plan. When motorists enter downtown, signs would direct them to government buildings and available parking.

Once someone has parked, additional signs would help the pedestrian find a destination.

The signs could help increase parking deck usage. Poe said he sometimes rides through the decks during downtown events and has never seen them full.

But is downtown’s parking problem caused by people not fully using the decks, pedestrians not willing to walk the distance? Or is there just not enough parking?

“In the study, it says we’ve got to look at more parking,” Poe said. “It could be a deck, it could be a pedestrian bridge.”

The city hopes to build a pedestrian bridge connecting The Forum with West Third Street. Bids for the proposal should go out within two weeks.

“I think that would help,” Poe said of the various proposals. “I don’t think it’ll help people that don’t want to walk. I don’t think it’s a solution, but it would help.”